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Definition of 'S'

Word Frequency

S

also s (es ) (plural S's, s's )
1. variable noun
S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet.
2. 
S or s is an abbreviation for words beginning with s, such as 'south', 'seconds', and 'son'.
3. 
s. was a written abbreviation for shilling or , shillings in Britain before decimal currency was introduced in 1971.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

s in British

or S (ɛs )
nounWord forms: plural s's, S's or Ss
1. 
the 19th letter and 15th consonant of the modern English alphabet
2. 
a speech sound represented by this letter, usually an alveolar fricative, either voiceless, as in sit, or voiced, as in dogs
3. 
a. 
something shaped like an S
b. 
(in combination)
an S-bend in a road
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

s in British

symbol for
second (of time)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

S in British

symbol for
1. 
satisfactory
2. 
Society
3. 
small (size)
4. 
South
5. chemistry
sulphur
6. physics
a. 
entropy
b. 
siemens
c. 
strangeness
7. currency
a. 
(the former) schilling
b. 
sol
c. 
(the former) sucre
abbreviation for
8. 
Sweden (international car registration)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

s. in British

abbreviation for
1. 
see
2. 
semi-
3. 
shilling
4. 
singular
5. 
son
6. 
succeeded
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

S. in British

abbreviation for
1. Word forms: plural SS
Saint
2. 
school
3. 
Sea
4. 
Signor
5. 
Society
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 's'
Latin socius
Word Frequency

S in American 1

1. 
Sabbath
2.  American Football
safety (the player)
: sometimes written s
3. 
Saint
4.  Bible
Samuel
5. 
Saturday
6. 
Saxon
7. 
Seaman
8. 
Senate
9. 
September
10. 
siemens
11. 
Signor
12. 
small
13. 
Society
14. 
South
15. 
south
16. 
southern
17. 
Sunday
18.  Pharmacy
write
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 's'
(sense 18) L signa
Word Frequency

S in American 2

1.  Physics
entropy
2.  Chemistry
sulfur
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency

s in American 1

(ɛs ; es) or S (ɛs ; es)
nounWord forms: plural S's or s's
1. 
the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet: from the Greek sigma, a borrowing from the Phoenician
2. 
any of the speech sounds that this letter represents, as, in English, the (s) of soap or (z) of rise
3. 
a type or impression for s or S
4. 
the nineteenth in a sequence or group
5. 
an object shaped like S
adjective
6. 
of s or S
7. 
nineteenth in a sequence or group
8. 
shaped like S
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency

s in American 2

1. 
school
2. 
second(s)
3. 
section
4. 
see
5. 
semi
6. 
series
7. 
shilling(s)
8. 
sign
9. 
silver
10. 
singular
11. 
sire
12. 
society
13. 
son
14. 
soprano
15. 
south
16. 
southern
17. 
substantive
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Example sentences containing 's'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
But after a minute, the Mirror ' s opaque surface began to clear, its darkness lifting. Garth Nix LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)"I don't know," I muttered, my eyes on the back of Art ' s head. Kate Cann GO! (2001)Carol smiled broadly and enjoyed the spasm of reaction across Radecki ' s eyes that provoked. Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)She would have already peeled the potatoes, mixed the crumble, earned Mum ' s approval. Kate Cann READY? (2001)
He'd spotted a red flyer sticking halfway out of someone ' s locker. Melinda Metz REVELATIONS (2001)
She was careful to thank the conductor in Greek and was answered,' ` S a pleasure, miss. Curzon, Clare THE QUEST FOR KThe S stood for Sandino, that little man in the cowboy hat whose silhouette was stencilled on walls all over the city. O'Connor, Joe DESPERADOESAshida had suggested the Chunnel plan with a dismissive shrug, S. Terman, Douglas CORMORANT
On the instep they bore the student number each man was awarded when he finally passed the BUD/ S course. Patrick Robinson NIMITZ CLASS (1997)She grabbed Richard's shoulder, pointed to the device on the wall, the snaky S with the stars surrounding it. Neil Gaiman NEVERWHERE (2001)

Word Lists

International car registration letters

Trends of 'S'

Extremely Common. s is one of the 1000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Nearby words of 's'

  • Ryukyu
  • Ryukyu Islands
  • Ryurik
  • s
  • -s
  • S & H
  • S & L

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'S'

Related Terms of 's'

  • -s
  • -s1

Source

Definition of S from the Collins English Dictionary

Adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses generally follow the main clause unless otherwise stated. The following are the main types of adverbial clause: Time: sets the timing for the main clause. We should go as soon as...
Read more about 'Adverbial clauses'
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