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-

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Words Starting With P

Browse 30,821 words and phrases that start with the letter P, from pa to pyx-jury.

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

The results showed that women eventually diagnosed with either of these two conditions — 849 with mild cognitive impairment and 752 with dementia — had larger amounts of p-tau217 in their initial blood sample way back in the mid-to-late 1990s. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus effectively replaces the Core Ultra 9 285K, packing eight Performance cores (P-cores) and 16 Efficient cores (E-cores). —Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026

The study suggests that not all women have the same risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia based on elevated levels of p-tau217 in their blood. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 10 Mar. 2026

Selling programs have been relentless in the S & P 500, as many of these algorithmic systems look to push ranges (both lower and higher), flushing weak longs out of the market. —Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 6 Mar. 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