Q
noun
the 17th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
Q
1 American
[kyoo]
/ kju /
Or
q
noun
Q's,
plural
Qs,
plural
q's,
plural
qs
plural
-
the 17th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
-
any spoken sound represented by the letter Q or q, as in quick, acquit, or Iraq.
-
something having the shape of a Q .
-
a written or printed representation of the letter Q or q.
-
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter Q or q.
Q
2
American
Q
3
American
Symbol.
-
the 17th in order or in a series.
-
(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 500.
-
Biochemistry. glutamine.
-
Physics. heat.
-
Thermodynamics. a unit of heat energy, equal to 10 18 British thermal units (1.055 × 10 21 joules).
-
Also called Q-factor. Electronics. the ratio of the reactance to the resistance of an electric circuit or component.
-
Biblical Criticism. the symbol for material common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that was not derived from the Gospel of Mark.
q.
4
American
abbreviation
q.
5
American
abbreviation
-
quart; quarts.
-
query.
-
question.
-
quintal.
-
quire.
Q.
6
American
abbreviation
-
quarto.
-
Quebec.
-
Queen.
-
question.
-
(in Guatemala) quetzal; quetzals.
Q
1
British
symbol
-
chess queen
-
question
-
physics heat
abbreviation
Q.
2
British
abbreviation
-
quartermaster
-
Also: q. quarto
-
Queen
-
question
q.
3
British
abbreviation
-
quart
-
quarter
-
quarterly
q
4
British
/ kjuː /
noun
-
the 17th letter and 13th consonant of the modern English alphabet
-
a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a voiceless velar stop, as in unique and quick
q
5
British
symbol
q
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of q.
From the Latin word quadrāns
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.
See Examples For:
Q: What is your vision for Bolivia in the coming months?
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
After a long space, the post said, “and by Q we mean quantum.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Rappers like Schoolboy Q and DJ Khalid have also become interested in the sport, adding to its cachet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
In Q lab, one scientist mentions discovering the "lifeboat with a minibar" that appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me, observing: "I guess things were different in the 80s."
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“This is my colleague, Q. Q, this is Gus.”
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Remarks.—Topotypes of this subspecies are intergrades between it and E. q. quadrivittatus.
From Taxonomy of the Chipmunks, Eutamias quadrivittatus and Eutamias umbrinus by White, John A.
Although complete in itself, it appears to have formed a part of a larger work, as the signatures run from n. to q., in eights.
From Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867 With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth Century by Macray, William Dunn
E. q. hopiensis, the only other subspecies in this species, E. q. quadrivittatus differs in: Dorsal dark stripes blackish; crown grayer; rump and thighs grayer; general tone of upper parts darker.
From Taxonomy of the Chipmunks, Eutamias quadrivittatus and Eutamias umbrinus by White, John A.
Most notably, he fired General Charles Q. Brown, the military’s highest-ranking Black officer.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling’s “broken windows” theory posited that crime is more than a willful act—it’s the product of a cultural atmosphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
Roger Q. Mason’s “Califas Trilogy” dives into the meltdown of myth and the possibility of repair among ruins.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the fired Joint Chiefs chairman, is the second Black general to serve in the role.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2025
Flipping through the Montgomery phone book, Sikora found a Q. P. Colvin still listed at the address mentioned in one of the old stories.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
The Fed Board in Washington oversees supervision of large regional banks like SVB, and Fed Vice Chair Michael Barr is undertaking a review of what went wrong to be published on May q.
From Reuters ● Apr. 12, 2023
The letters q, p, d and b are all shaped identically but rotated, and some have argued serifs make them easier to identify.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
If qa = 0 in Figure 18.44, under what conditions will there be no net Coulomb force on q ?
From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015
First show that q is in static equilibrium.
From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015
It has the letter q carved on each side in faded red.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Q’s posts also stopped, leaving many followers adrift.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2025
“Ballard” is a sharp reversal from Q’s last series — the 2024 Fox comedy “Pivoting,” about three close-knit women who are trying to cope with the death of another friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
Just across the parking lot from Station Q’s new office, a third kind of Majorana hunt is underway.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 20, 2023
Think of it as Social Q’s for birding.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
I search my memory for this Uncle Q’s story—his name has come up several times before but I’ve never met him, never seen him, until now.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
It reintroduced Suzy Qs, a snack cake that resembles an ice cream sandwich, and launched Fritter Rings, which the CEO said bring a “country fair kind of vibe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“You need to be on your Ps and Qs in both categories,” Snead said, “both variables, right, to earn that type of contract.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
"So we can inform the young people to 'be on your Ps and Qs, dress smart, walk well, stay in safe spaces, stay seen."
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2025
Since the doors to the theater first swung open, it’d been made clear that everyone needed to mind their Ps and Qs.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 6, 2023
Some Os and Qs and Cs long and narrow.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Viewed this way, minding our p’s and q’s is less about proscriptive notions of correctness, and more about mindfulness, self-discovery and proper conduct.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
For parents worried that virtual assistants are encouraging bad manners in children, it’ll be a good way to prod the little ones to remember their p’s and q’s.
From The Verge ● Nov. 29, 2018
"That's the biggest adjustment. It makes me lock in defensively. I know I have to be on my p's and q's."
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2018
Getting sense my q's today went over ppls heads - maybe going fwd I shouldn’t stay up late watching @Dbacks games...
From Time ● Jun. 8, 2017
She snaps back, “Now, you just mind your own p’s and q’s there!”
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
E-Mili 1st 3 qs wasted but 4th was a vg one.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2013
After the camera pans to the board – which has the words 'shaqattack', 'shaqalici', 'shaquesque' and, yes, 'shaqfu' on it – Shaq is asked: "How do you get so many qs?"
From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2012
Today's playgoers are not so likely to be put off by Cock-A-Doodle Dan dy's zany unconcern with sequiturs, probabilities or dramatic ps and qs.
From Time Magazine Archive
Diana is closeted in Clarence House, the residence of the Queen Mother, getting a cram course in monarchical ps and qs.
From Time Magazine Archive
Nowadays she no longer minded her ps and qs; she had regained the most perfect freedom.
From Four Short Stories By Emile Zola by Zola, Émile
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.
