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

Adding the blue cheese to the chili (itself quite amazing) while enjoying a lightly spicy IPA cut through the spicy heat of the dish and complemented the tangy cheese indescribably well. —Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

Try Field 41, a pale ale named for a parcel of family land, or the Topcutter IPA, a flagship West Coast–style brew bursting with pine, grapefruit, and floral notes from Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic hops, finishing clean and dry. —Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025

The beer list includes Modelo, Sapporo, Blue Moon, Hazy Little Thing IPA, Pacifico and Recursion IPA. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 18 Nov. 2025

To honor Pikes Peak’s legacy, Goat Patch will continue brewing two of its most popular recipes, Elephant Rock IPA and Gold Rush Belgian-style golden ale. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025

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.