IPA

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˌī-(ˌ)pē-ˈā 

plural IPAs

: a pale ale made with extra hops : india pale ale

American beers, especially IPAs, are still quite hoppy …

—Lauren Buzzeo

IPA

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˌī-(ˌ)pē-ˈā 

: an alphabet designed to represent each human speech sound with a unique symbol

IPA

3 of 3

abbreviation

individual practice association

Examples of IPA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hilarides makes his mustard with both yellow and black mustard seeds, which soak in equal parts apple cider vinegar and beer (Hilarides is partial to IPA) for a full 24 hours at room temperature. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026

Craft beer drinkers know Pliny the Elder as the inspiration for his namesake double IPA. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026

The cost of deploying 3 gigawatts of batteries on the grid by 2031 would add 58 to 68 cents per month to the average residential bill for Ameren customers in mostly downstate Illinois and 40 to 48 cents for Commonwealth Edison customers in the Chicago region, according to the IPA analysis. —Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026

Malt has almost as much variation in its varieties and flavors as hops, and there’s an entire world of different beer flavors waiting to be found all over again by beer drinkers looking for something beyond another IPA. —Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

India Pale Ale

Noun (2)

International Phonetic Alphabet

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1933, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

IPA

abbreviation

independent practice association; individual practice association

Note: An independent practice association is made up of a group of physicians in private practice who join in an association that contracts with a managed health care plan (as an HMO) to provide medical services to patients enrolled in the plan.