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-

Example Sentences

Noun a word that starts with a p a word that starts with p

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 7 Dec. 2022.

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


The Great British Vocabulary Quiz

  • union jack speech bubble
  • Named after Sir Robert Peel, what are British police called?
Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ