papa
noun
papa
American
[pah-puh, puh-pah]
/ ˈpɑ pə, pəˈpɑ /
noun
-
Papa, a code word used in communications, especially by radio, to represent the letter P.
Papa
1
British
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /
noun
papa
2
British
/ pəˈpɑː /
noun
papa
3
British
/ ˈpɑːpɑː /
noun
papa
4
British
/ ˈpɑːpa /
noun
Etymology
Origin of papa
First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French pappa (nursery word); compare Latin pāpa “father” ( see pope), Old Norse pāpi, pabbi “father”; see pap 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
‘You’ve got to take care of mama bear and papa bear first.’
From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025
Someone’s got to pay as papa becomes grand-père, but the forecast is bleak.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
To me, and everyone else in my family, he’s always been papa.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
“He was the most amazing husband, father, papa and actor. He loved performing for the ‘Days’ audience and sharing the stage with the greatest cast, crew, and production team in the business.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2024
“We’ve got to figure out how to stop the Nightingale so we can get my papa back, and you’re just focused on Misha for some stupid reason. He didn’t even do anything to you!”
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
