PhD
abbreviation or noun
variants
or Ph.D.
plural PhDs or Ph.D.s
: the academic degree, title, or rank of doctor of philosophy
He was awarded a PhD in economics.
Jane Smith, Ph.D.
also
: a person who has earned the academic degree of doctor of philosophy
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Watson School of Biological Sciences graduated its first PhDs (14 of them) in June 2004 … —
Horace Freeland Judson
Horace Freeland Judson 
Examples of PhD in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As Judy Ho, PhD, ABPP, ABPdN, author of The New Rules of Attachment: How to Heal Your Relationships, Reparent Your Inner Child, and Secure Your Life Vision, points out, limiting kids’ sweets can send the wrong message.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
After escaping North Korea across its border with China and arriving in Seoul, Park earned a PhD in materials science and engineering at one of South Korea’s top universities and landed a coveted job as a senior researcher at Hyundai Steel.
—Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Levin received two undergraduate degrees from Stanford, in English and math, in 1994, before obtaining a master’s in economics from Oxford University in 1996 and a PhD in the same field from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Meet the experts: J. Matthew Davis, PhD, is an associate professor at University of New Hampshire’s department of earth sciences, and an expert in groundwater hydrology.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
But in biotech, postdocs and PhD graduates can easily crack six figures.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
By the time Srinivas was working toward his PhD in computer science at UC Berkeley, Pichai had been crowned chief executive of Google.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Adapted from Cultures of Growth by Mary C. Murphy, PhD, published by Simon and Schuster.
—Mary C. Murphy, Fortune Well, 19 Mar. 2024
Hard tap water refers to water that contains a higher concentration of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, Anna Gitter, PhD, an environmental researcher with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, told Verywell in an email.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2024
Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
After escaping North Korea across its border with China and arriving in Seoul, Park earned a PhD in materials science and engineering at one of South Korea’s top universities and landed a coveted job as a senior researcher at Hyundai Steel.
—Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Levin received two undergraduate degrees from Stanford, in English and math, in 1994, before obtaining a master’s in economics from Oxford University in 1996 and a PhD in the same field from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Meet the experts: J. Matthew Davis, PhD, is an associate professor at University of New Hampshire’s department of earth sciences, and an expert in groundwater hydrology.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024
But in biotech, postdocs and PhD graduates can easily crack six figures.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
By the time Srinivas was working toward his PhD in computer science at UC Berkeley, Pichai had been crowned chief executive of Google.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Adapted from Cultures of Growth by Mary C. Murphy, PhD, published by Simon and Schuster.
—Mary C. Murphy, Fortune Well, 19 Mar. 2024
Hard tap water refers to water that contains a higher concentration of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, Anna Gitter, PhD, an environmental researcher with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, told Verywell in an email.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'PhD.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin philosophiae doctor
First Known Use
1839, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near PhD
Cite this Entry
“PhD.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/PhD. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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