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

Software stocks as represented by the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) was not impacted to the same degree, but still underperformed the S & P 500. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2026

Mazda’s Skyactiv is introduced Mazda first introduced the Sky and Mazda P engine series in the early 2000s before updating to the higher compression Skyactiv-G (gasoline) series. —New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2026

In this study, P-free and P-containing glasses and glass ceramics were synthesized and evaluated using various analytical methods to clarify the influence of P addition on the glass structure and state of P after crystallization. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026

In the new study, Schindler and her colleagues tested how well a blood test for p-tau217 could predict the age at which people who had the protein would develop symptoms of the disease. —Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2026

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