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• alpha
  alpha

  noun

  the first letter of the Greek alphabet (A, α).
• Alpha
  Alpha

  noun

  (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the brightest star in a constellation

SEE ALSO:

Slang dictionary results for alpha.

alpha

American  

[al-fuh] / ˈæl fə /

noun

• alphas
  plural

1. the first letter of the Greek alphabet (A, α).

2. the vowel sound represented by the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

3. the first; the beginning.

4. Astronomy. Alpha, used to designate the brightest star in a constellation.

   Alpha Arietis is the brightest star in Aries.

5. Chemistry. one of two or more isomeric compounds.

6. the first in a series of related items: frequently used in chemistry and physics.

7. Computers. an early phase of hardware or software development, in which the product is tested by its developers or manufacturers.

   Some modules are complete and ready for consumers while others are still in alpha.

8. Chiefly British. a mark or grade corresponding to an A.

9. alpha male.

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adjective

1. 1. (of an animal) having the highest rank in a dominance hierarchy.

      the alpha female of an elephant pack.

   2. being the most dominant, powerful, or assertive person in a particular group.

   3. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging. being or relating to a man who is perceived to be assertive, successful, and sexually dominant.

2. alphabetical.

   Put the files in alpha order.

3. Computers. being, relating to, or undergoing the early phase of product development in which a product is tested by its developers or manufacturers.

   The initial release is really an alpha version only available to developers.

4. Chemistry. relating to or linked to the carbon atom closest to a particular group in an organic molecule.

alpha ¹ British  

/ ˈælfə /

noun

1. the first letter in the Greek alphabet (Α, α), a vowel transliterated as a

2. the highest grade or mark, as in an examination

3. (modifier)

   1. involving or relating to helium-4 nuclei

      an alpha particle

   2. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid

      alpha iron

   3. relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound, esp one in which a group is attached to the carbon atom to which the principal group is attached

4. (modifier) denoting the dominant person or animal in a group

   the alpha male

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Alpha ² British  

/ ˈælfə /

noun

1. (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the brightest star in a constellation

   Alpha Centauri

2. communications a code word for the letter a

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alphas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alpha

First recorded in 1150–1200; from Latin, from Greek álpha, from Phoenician 'lp “ox,” also the name of the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet; cf. aleph

Explanation

Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Many college fraternities are named after two or three Greek letters, often including an alpha. Scientists frequently use alpha to mean the first item in a list or series, or the most important item in a group. An uppercase alpha looks identical to a capital A, while the lowercase version is similar but not identical to a small a: α. The Greek alpha comes from the Hebrew and Phoenician aleph, a form of the word for "ox," eleph, possibly because the character resembled an ox's head.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alpha Alpha alphas

A University of California patent application filed in April 2025 and published in October 2025 describes adding alpha pinene or beta pinene to localized insecticide injections for western drywood termites.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

“I think he really loves playing the alpha male who’s starting to crumble.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

He also courted strong and straight — and unavailable — alpha men to whom he appeared happy to play the beta role of political ingénue.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

“Investors are stepping back and saying ‘Where might the next leg of alpha come from?’” said Joshua Schachter, chief investment officer at Easterly Snow, referring to the trading term for outperforming market benchmarks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

When two males are contesting the alpha position, they usually do so by forming extensive coalitions of supporters, both male and female, from within the group.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Analysts had expected adjusted operating profit at 1.72 billion pounds, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

But financial planner Matthew Chancey, founder of Tax Alpha Companies in Tampa, Fla., is a skeptic.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Last cycle’s playbook was lock in cheap fixed debt while it existed,” said Matthew Chancey, founder of Tax Alpha Companies.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

The other US airman who was shot down, identified as Alpha, declined to be interviewed by CBS.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Ben guided Alpha and Beta into a spot on the far side of the stone, away from most of the other wagons.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

“This guy is a serial winner. I can also tell you how hard it is to have a lot of alphas and make sure that only one will be the alpha.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The table below lists the four S&P 1,500 sub-industry indexes with trailing two-year alphas of at least 100 percentage points, along with the two largest-cap stocks within each.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

He and coach Brendon McCullum are two alphas in the England dressing room, possibly leaving little room for the growth of other characters.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026

Dr. Phil, however, offered a different perspective, claiming both Swift and Kelce are alphas and pointed to their individual successes.

From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2024

We fired alphas, gammas, betas, the works, in wide dispersion, concentrated beam and just plain exposure.

From Make Mine Homogenized by Kelly Freas