ampersand

[ am-per-sand, am-per-sand ]

noun
  1. a character or symbol (& or ) for and: Smith & Jones, Inc.

Origin of ampersand

1
1820–30; contraction of and per se and literally, (the symbol) & by itself (stands for) and; see per se

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ampersand in a sentence

  • Which of the three Ampersands has the prior claim to the name, I cannot tell.

    Little Rivers | Henry van Dyke

British Dictionary definitions for ampersand

ampersand

/ (ˈæmpəˌsænd) /


noun
  1. the character (&), meaning and: John Brown & Co

Origin of ampersand

1
C19: shortened from and per se and, that is, the symbol & by itself (represents) and

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for ampersand

ampersand

[ (am-puhr-sand) ]


A symbol (see also symbol) for and (), as in Dun Bradstreet.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.