s

1 of 7

noun

ˈes

plural s's or ss ˈe-səz

often capitalized, often attributive

: the 19th letter of the English alphabet

: a graphic representation of this letter

: a speech counterpart of orthographic s

: a graphic device for reproducing the letter s

: one designated s especially as the 19th in order or class

[abbreviation for satisfactory]

: a grade rating a student's work as satisfactory

: one graded or rated with an S

: something shaped like the letter S

2 of 7

abbreviation (1)

sabbath

saint

schilling

scruple

second; secondary

section

senate

series

shilling

[Latin signa] label

siemens

signor

sine

singular

small

smooth

snow

society

son

sou

south; southern

strange

subject

symmetrical

3 of 7

abbreviation (2)

satisfactory

short

standard deviation of a sample

svedberg

4 of 7

plural noun suffix

after a voiceless consonant s,

after a voiced consonant or a vowel z

—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

the 1940's

B's

compare -es entry 1

-s

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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

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

See more words from the same century

Articles Related to s

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes

When each letter can be seen but not heard

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

They aren't seen but they are heard

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Find out why 'poets laureate' and 'poet laureates' are both acceptable.

Cite this Entry

Style

“S.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/s. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

1 of 4 noun

ˈes

often capitalized

: the 19th letter of the English alphabet

: a grade rating a student's work as satisfactory

-s

2 of 4 noun plural suffix

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

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

1 of 2 abbreviation

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

signa

—used to introduce the signature in writing a prescription

smooth

—used of bacterial colonies

subject

svedberg

2 of 2 symbol

sulfur

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