p

1 of 5

noun

ˈpē 

variants often P

plural p's or ps ˈpēz 

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-

Examples of p in a Sentence

Noun

a word that starts with a p

a word that starts with p

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If relative strength versus the S & P 500 persists, does that imply broader equity market weakness? —Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026

Valuing a company is a subjective endeavor, but undervalued stocks typically have price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios below their own five-year averages and below those of their competitors. —The Motley Fool, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026

Then on Saturday, a full scale-assault unfolded just before 10 p..m. as heavy gunfire jolted residents from their sleep and sent them fleeing. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025

But the difference wasn’t quite statistically significant: the p value was 0.059, just above the 0.05 threshold conventionally used for statistical significance. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing p

• mind one's p's and q's
• p's and q's
• p-type
• watch one's p's and q's

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