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a

697 ENTRIES FOUND:

¹ a noun

or A /ˈeɪ/

plural a's or as or A's or As

¹ a

noun

or A /ˈeɪ/

plural a's or as or A's or As

Britannica Dictionary definition of A

: the first letter of the English alphabet

[count]

a word that begins with an a

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[noncount]

a word that begins with a

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: a musical note or key referred to by the letter A : the sixth tone of a C-major scale

[count]

play/sing an A

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[noncount]

a song in the key of A

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[count] : a grade that is given to a student for doing excellent work

She got an A on the exam.
He's an A student. [=a student who gets A's for his schoolwork]

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[noncount] — used to refer to the first of two or more people, places, or things that are being considered

If A, B, and C divide the coins equally, how many does each person get?

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an A for effort

— see effort

exhibit A

— see ²exhibit

from A to Z

: including everything

The book is titled “Home Repairs From A to Z.”

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from (point) A to (point) B

: from one place to another

I don't care about the scenery. I'm only interested in getting from A to B.

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² a /ə/ /ˈeɪ/ indefinite article

or an /ən/ /ˈæn/

² a

/ə/ /ˈeɪ/

indefinite article

or an /ən/ /ˈæn/

Britannica Dictionary definition of A

◊ A is used before a consonant sound.

a door
a human

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An is used before a vowel sound.

an icicle
an honor

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Note that when a word begins with a vowel letter but is pronounced with a consonant sound, a is used.

a one
a union

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When an abbreviation begins with a consonant letter but is pronounced with a vowel sound, an is used.

an FBI investigation
an LCD display

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When a word begins with h but the first syllable of the word is not given primary stress, both a and an are used.

a historic
an historic

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— used before singular nouns when the person or thing is being mentioned for the first time

There was a tree in the field.
A man walked past him.
I heard a shout.
He bought a house, but this is not the house he bought.
I ordered an apple and some cheese: I ate the apple but not the cheese.

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a — used like one before number words like hundred, thousand, etc.

a hundred and twenty people
a million dollars
a dozen doughnuts

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b — used like one before number words like third, fortieth, etc.

This is a [=one] third the size of that.

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c — used like one before units of weight, measurement, etc.

a pound or two [=one or two pounds]
a week or two [=one or two weeks]
a foot and a half of water = one and a half feet of water

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d : one single : even one — used in negative constructions

They didn't charge me a penny. [=they didn't charge me anything at all]
“Did she say anything about it?” “Not a word.”

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— used before a word or phrase that indicates a type or class of person or thing

My uncle is a plumber.
Copper is a metal.
She's a very nice lady.

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— often used before noncount nouns that are modified by an adjective or phrase

a torrential rain
She has a warmth that puts people at ease.
I've always had a fondness for chocolate.

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— used like any to refer in a general way to people or things

A person who is sick can't work well. [=people can't work well if they are sick]

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— used before a proper noun to indicate limited knowledge about the person or thing being mentioned

A Mr. Smith [=a man named Mr. Smith] called to ask about the job.
Among the towns of the area there is a Newton, I believe.

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a — used before a proper noun that is acting as an example or type

the attractions of a Boston or a Cleveland
His friends say he's an Einstein in regard to science.

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b — used before the name of a day of the week to refer to one occurrence of it

My birthday falls on a Tuesday this year.

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a — used before the name of a person (such as a famous artist) when the name is being used to refer to something (such as a painting) created by that person

The museum recently purchased a Rembrandt. [=a painting by Rembrandt]
My violin is a Stradivarius.

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b — used before a family name to show that someone is a member of that family

Did you know that she's a Kennedy?

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— used before a proper noun referring to a person or thing that has a particular quality

A triumphant Ms. Jones greeted her supporters. [=Ms. Jones was triumphant when she greeted her supporters]
We were met at the door by an embarrassed Mr. Brown. [=Mr. Brown was embarrassed when he met us at the door]
We had a very mild January.