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
“He’s the one with a Ph.D. in financial planning,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 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
To test how the antifreeze proteins work, Matthew Capek, a Ph.D. student in the Gallio Lab, modified fruit flies to produce one of the snow fly proteins.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
But in order to get married, I needed a job, and in order to get a job, I needed a Ph.D.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
