t

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈtē 

variants often T

plural t's or ts ˈtēz 

often attributive

1

a

: the 20th letter of the English alphabet

b

: a graphic representation of this letter

c

: a speech counterpart of orthographic t

2

: a graphic device for reproducing the letter t

3

: one designated t especially as the 20th in order or class

4

: something shaped like the letter T

5

: t formation

6

: technical foul

see also:

to a T

t

2 of 4

abbreviation (1)

1

metric ton

2

tablespoon

3

teaspoon

4

technical

5

temperature

6

[Latin tempore] in the time of

7

tense

8

tertiary

9

time

10

ton

11

township

12

transitive

13

troy

14

true

T

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈtē 

T

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

1

tera-

2

tesla

3

testosterone

4

thymine

5

toddler

6

tritium

7

T-shirt

Phrases

the T

slang

: private or inside information especially of a personal nature : the tea

—usually used in the phrase spill the T

… the eight remaining contestants reflect on their track records in Untucked and spill the T on who they consider their biggest competition for the crown.

—Sam Damshenas

Did you know?

Words Starting With T

Browse 20,197 words and phrases that start with the letter T, from ta to Tzutuhil.

Examples of t in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a word that begins with a t

a word that begins with t

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sleep was beginning to finally visit the insomniacs and drunkards of T—in central Manila when a commotion louder than the usual domestic squabbles erupted from the room above Mang Calixto’s bakery. — Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026

The investment bank says investors should buy companies like Spotify t hat are well positioned going into quarterly results. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026

Coco Austin, Chanel Nicole Marrow and Ice-T pose for a family portrait at the 17th Annual Amazon Kids Back-to-School Fashion Show pjresented by Rookie Kids on July 30 in New York City. — People Staff, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

Ukraine supplied them along with at least 43 long-range R-73R/T air-to-air missiles per SIPRI. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Note: See note at tea.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

2009, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing t

• Student's t distribution
• Student's t-test
• t distribution
• t-PA
• t-test

Kids Definition

t

noun

tē

plural t's or ts

ˈtēz

often capitalized

: the 20th letter of the English alphabet

Medical Definition

T

1 of 2 abbreviation

1

tesla

2

thoracic

—used with a number from 1 to 12 to indicate a vertebra or segment of the spinal cord

multiple injuries with a fracture of T-12

3

thymine

T

2 of 2 symbol

1

absolute temperature

2

tritium