p

1 of 5

noun

plural p's or ps ˈpēz How to pronounce p (audio)
often capitalized, often attributive
1
a
: the 16th letter of the English alphabet
b
: a graphic representation of this letter
c
: a speech counterpart of orthographic p
2
: a graphic device for reproducing the letter p
3
: one designated p especially as the 16th in order or class
4
[abbreviation for pass]
a
: a grade rating a student's work as passing
b
: one graded or rated with a P
5
: something shaped like the letter P

p

2 of 5

abbreviation (1)

1
page; pages
2
parental generation
3
part
4
participle
5
past
6
pater
7
pawn
8
pence; penny
9
per
10
peseta
11
peso
12
petite
13
piano
14
pico-
15
pint
16
pipe
17
pitch
18
pole
19
port
20
power
21
pro
22
progressive
23
proton
24
purl

P

3 of 5

abbreviation (2)

1
pressure
2
[French poids] weight

P

4 of 5

symbol

phosphorus

p-

5 of 5

abbreviation (3)

para-

Examples of p in a Sentence

Noun a word that starts with a p a word that starts with p
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Taylor, 4:20; 165: E. Sherlock p Korman, :33; 175: Haughey (GL) p Stone, :30; 190: Chaney (GL) p Emmons, 3:42; 215: Smith (GL) p Jerdal, 1:21; Hvy: White (SP) won by forfeit. Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024 Mathematically this is expressed by saying that, given an irrational number x, there are infinitely many rational numbers p/q such that |x - p/q| < 1/q^2, while for rational numbers there are only finitely many. Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 The Coral Gables City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to audit Amazon purchases made over the past two years using city purchasing cards, or p-cards, after a series of recent transactions that included fitness drinks, a magnifying mirror and blue light blocking glasses raised concerns. Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2024 As the value of p changes, the graphs can show sudden transitions in their properties. Quanta Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024 This says that a moving particle has a momentum (p) that is equal to the particle's mass (m) times its velocity (v). Rhett Allain, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2024 See all Quantized Academy Columns Given a prime number p, then for any integer a, the quantity ap–a is divisible by p. Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023 This recombination eats up the population of electrons and holes, pulling holes away from the p-side and electrons away from the n-side. Sid Assawaworrarit, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2023 In 2011, the KU Leuven astrophysicist Paul Beck and colleagues used Kepler data to show that in red giants, p-modes and g-modes interact and produce what’s known as a mixed mode. WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'p.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of p was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near p

Cite this Entry

“P.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

p

noun
ˈpē
often capitalized
: the 16th letter of the English alphabet

Medical Definition

P

1 of 3 abbreviation
1
parental
2
part
3
percentile
4
pharmacopoeia
5
pint
6
pole
7
population
8
position
9
positive
10
posterior
11
pressure
12
pulse
13
pupil

P

2 of 3 symbol
phosphorus

p-

3 of 3 abbreviation
para-
p-dichlorobenzene

More from Merriam-Webster on p

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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