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

Companies moved from automating simple tasks to automating entire workflows through technologies like robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent process automation (IPA). — Rajat Sharma, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

The Grayton Beer Company started with two classic brews, an IPA and a Pale Ale, and vacationers and locals alike instantly fell head over hops. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 June 2026

While other early craft breweries were chasing the next big IPA, Sudwerk planted a flag for clean, traditional, malt-forward lagers — and helped pioneer the Northern California craft scene in the process. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 June 2026

Wash it down with standout brews like the Blueberry Fruit Tart and Wild Wanderer, an IPA with notes of citrus, pine, and grapefruit. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 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.