s

1 of 7

noun

ˈes How to pronounce s (audio)
variants often S
plural s's or ss ˈe-səz How to pronounce s (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: the 19th letter of the English alphabet
b
: a graphic representation of this letter
c
: a speech counterpart of orthographic s
2
: a graphic device for reproducing the letter s
3
: one designated s especially as the 19th in order or class
4
[abbreviation for satisfactory]
a
: a grade rating a student's work as satisfactory
b
: one graded or rated with an S
5
: something shaped like the letter S

s

2 of 7

abbreviation (1)

1
Sabbath
2
saint
3
schilling
4
scruple
5
second; secondary
6
section
7
senate
8
series
9
shilling
10
[Latin signa] label
11
siemens
12
signor
13
sine
14
singular
15
small
16
smooth
17
snow
18
society
19
son
20
sou
21
south; southern
22
strange
23
subject
24
symmetrical

S

3 of 7

abbreviation (2)

1
satisfactory
2
short
3
standard deviation of a sample
4
svedberg

S

4 of 7

symbol

sulfur

-s

5 of 7

plural noun suffix

s after a voiceless consonant
z after a voiced consonant or a vowel
—used to form the plural of most nouns that do not end in s, z, sh, ch, or postconsonantal y,
heads
books
boys
beliefs
to form the plural of proper nouns that end in postconsonantal y,
Marys
and with or without a preceding apostrophe to form the plural of abbreviations, numbers, letters, and symbols used as nouns
MCs
PhD's
4s
the 1940's
$s
B's
compare -es entry 1

-s

6 of 7

adverb suffix

—used to form adverbs denoting usual or repeated action or state
always at home Sundays
mornings he stops by the newsstand

-s

7 of 7

verb suffix

—used to form the third person singular present of most verbs that do not end in s, z, sh, ch, or postconsonantal y
falls
takes
plays
compare -es entry 2

Did you know?

Words Starting With S

Browse 41,439 words and phrases that start with the letter S, from Saadian to szomolnokite.

Examples of s in a Sentence

Noun a word that starts with an s a word that starts with s

Word History

Etymology

Plural noun suffix

Middle English -es, -s, from Old English -as, nominative & accusative plural ending of some masculine nouns; akin to Old Saxon -os

Adverb suffix

Middle English -es, -s, plural ending of nouns, from -es, genitive singular ending of nouns (functioning adverbially), from Old English -es

Verb suffix

Middle English (Northern & North Midland dialect) -es, from Old English (Northumbrian dialect) -es, -as, probably from Old English -es, -as, 2nd singular present indicative ending — more at -est

First Known Use

Noun

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of s was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Rzeszow
s
S
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“S.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/s. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

s

1 of 4 noun
ˈes
often capitalized
1
: the 19th letter of the English alphabet
2
: a grade rating a student's work as satisfactory

-s

2 of 4 noun plural suffix
s
after a voiceless consonant sound, z
after a voiced consonant sound or a vowel sound
—used to form the plural of most nouns that do not end in s, z, sh, or ch or in y following a consonant
heads
books
boys
beliefs
, to form the plural of proper nouns that end in y following a consonant
Marys
, and with or without a preceding apostrophe to form the plural of abbreviations, numbers, letters, and symbols used as nouns
MCs
4s
#s
B's

-s

3 of 4 adverb suffix
—used to form adverbs indicating usual or repeated action or state
at home Sundays
shops mornings

-s

4 of 4 verb suffix
—used to form the third person singular present of most verbs that do not end in s, z, sh, or ch or in y following a consonant
falls
takes
plays
Etymology

Noun plural suffix

derived from Old English -as, an ending on plural nouns

Medical Definition

S

1 of 2 abbreviation
1
sacral
—used especially with a number from 1 to 5 to indicate a vertebra or segment of the spinal cord in the sacral region
the relative length of cord segments S1 to S5
2
signa
—used to introduce the signature in writing a prescription
3
smooth
—used of bacterial colonies
4
subject
5
svedberg

S

2 of 2 symbol
sulfur

More from Merriam-Webster on s

Nglish: Translation of s for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of onerous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Are You Misusing These 10 Common Words?

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?

The Words of the Week - Apr. 24

Was 'nervous Nellie' a Real Person?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

9 Other Words for Beautiful

Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
See More

天美传媒

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
girl-playing-trumpet
Sound Check: A Musical Word Quiz Tune-up your vocabulary
See All