Q

¹ American  

[kyoo] / kyu /

Or q

noun

plural

Q's, Qs, q's, qs

1. the 17th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

2. any spoken sound represented by the letter Q or q, as in quick, acquit, or Iraq.

3. something having the shape of a Q .

4. a written or printed representation of the letter Q or q.

5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter Q or q.

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Q ² American  

abbreviation

1. quarterly.

2. Chess. queen.

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Q ³ American  

Symbol.

1. the 17th in order or in a series.

2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 500.

3. Biochemistry. glutamine.

4. Physics. heat.

5. Thermodynamics. a unit of heat energy, equal to 10 18 British thermal units (1.055 × 10 21 joules).

6. Also called Q-factor.  Electronics. the ratio of the reactance to the resistance of an electric circuit or component.

7. Biblical Criticism. the symbol for material common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that was not derived from the Gospel of Mark.

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q. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. farthing.

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q. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. quart; quarts.

2. query.

3. question.

4. quintal.

5. quire.

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Q. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. quarto.

2. Quebec.

3. Queen.

4. question.

5. (in Guatemala) quetzal; quetzals.

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Q ¹ British  

symbol

1. chess queen

2. question

3. physics heat

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abbreviation

1. text messaging queue

Q. ² British  

abbreviation

1. quartermaster

2. Also: q.  quarto

3. Queen

4. question

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q. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. quart

2. quarter

3. quarterly

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q ⁴ British  

/ kjuː /

noun

1. the 17th letter and 13th consonant of the modern English alphabet

2. a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a voiceless velar stop, as in unique and quick

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q ⁵ British  

symbol

1. quintal

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q Idioms  

1. see mind one's p's and q's.

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Etymology

Origin of q.

From the Latin word quadrāns

Example Sentences

Pullen, who lost his World Snooker Tour place last May, then regained it a few weeks later at Q School, said he loved his first Crucible match.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Last year, Scotland Yard said the officers' actions in the Child Q case were "regrettable" and it "should never have happened".

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

"The attacker effectively gains a 'master key' to your digital identity," said the engineer, who has named his OpenClaw agent "Q" after his business name QLab.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Q: Did anyone foresee how much index funds would grow?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

“Yeah, Uncle Q. He owns Q over there on West Chicago. That’s his club, practically his block. That’s where he runs his business. And that’s where I first fell in love.”

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi