Ph.D.
Americanabbreviation
plural
Ph.D.s-
the highest degree, a doctorate, awarded by a graduate school in a field of academic study, usually to a person who has completed at least three years of graduate study and a dissertation approved by a committee of professors.
-
a person who has been awarded this degree.
Etymology
Origin of Ph.D.
First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin Philosophiae Doctor
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.
The philosophical bent of Palantir came from Karp, who holds a Ph.D. in neoclassical social theory from Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
In addition to the Galbraiths, coauthors on this study are Brian English, Ph.D., of Janelia Research Campus, and Ulrike Boehm, Ph.D., formerly with Janelia and now with Carl Zeiss AG of Germany.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Goldin earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago economics department in 1972, when few women were in the field.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
AI has the ability to be a Ph.D. in your pocket, a doctor in your pocket, an analyst in your pocket, an accountant, and whatnot.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Where was the Ph.D. he’d worked so hard for?
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
