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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of A, a in English

A, a
noun
uk
/eɪ/ us
/eɪ/
plural As, A's or a's

A, a noun (LETTER)

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[ C or U ]
the first letter of the English alphabet
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Letters of alphabets
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A, a noun (MUSIC)

[ C or U ]
a note in Western music:
This concerto is in the key of A major.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Notes of the musical scale
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A, a noun (MARK)

[ C or U ]
a mark in an exam or for a piece of work that shows that your work is considered excellent:
straight As She got straight As (= all her marks were As) in her final exams.
straight-A Jim is a straight-A student (= all his marks are A).
Sophie got an A for English.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Marks & results
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a
determiner
ukweak /ə/ uk
strong /eɪ/ usweak /ə/ us
strong /eɪ/
(also an)

a determiner (NOT PARTICULAR)

A1
used before a noun to refer to a single thing or person that has not been mentioned before, especially when you are not referring to a particular thing or person:
I've bought a car.
She's got a boyfriend.
There was a sudden loud noise.
What a shame that you couldn't go to the party.
I heard a child crying.
Is he a friend of yours (= one of your friends)?
A1
used to say what type of thing or person something or someone is:
She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
This is a very mild cheese.
Experts think the painting may be a Picasso (= one done by Picasso).
A1
used to mean any or every thing or person of the type you are referring to:
Can you ride a bike?
A cheetah can run faster than a lion.
A teacher needs to have a lot of patience.
used before some uncountable nouns when you want to limit their meaning in some way, such as when describing them more completely or referring to one example of them:
I only have a limited knowledge of Spanish.
He has a great love of music.
There was a fierceness in her voice.
A2
used before some nouns of action when referring to one example of the action:
Take a look at this, Jez.
I'm just going to have a snack.
There was a knocking at the door.
A2
used when referring to a unit or container of something, especially something you eat or drink:
I'd love a coffee.
All I had for lunch was a yogurt.
A2
used before the first but not the second of two nouns that are referred to as one unit:
a cup and saucer
a knife and fork
A2
used before some words that express a number or amount:
a few days
a bit of wool
a lot of money
used in front of a person's name when referring to someone who you do not know:
There's a Ms Evans to see you.
used in front of someone's family name when they are a member of that family:
Is that a Wilson over there?
used before the name of a day or month to refer to one example of it:
My birthday is on a Friday this year.
It's been a very wet June.
More examplesFewer examples

a determiner (ONE)

A1
one:
a hundred
a thousand
a dozen
There were three men and a woman.
A2
used between a fraction and a unit of measurement:
half a mile
a quarter of a kilo
three quarters of an hour
six tenths of a second
A2
used when saying how often something happens in a certain period:
Take one tablet three times a day.
I swim once a week.
A2
used when saying how much someone earns or how much something costs in a certain period:
She earns $100,000 a year.
My plumber charges £30 an hour.
I pay £25 a week for my parking permit.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Numbers: cardinal, including nought & zero
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Grammar

A/an and the
A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a noun. …
A/an and the: meaning
A/an and the are articles. They are a type of determiner and they go before a noun. …
When do we use a and when do we use an?
In speaking, we use a /ə/ before a consonant sound: …
How do we pronounce the?
We pronounce the in two ways depending on whether the sound which comes after the is a vowel or a consonant: …
When do we use articles?
…
A/an and the: typical errors
We don’t use the with plural nouns when we are referring to things in general: …
A
noun

A noun (ELECTRICITY)

written abbreviation for amp
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Electricity - units
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Idioms

from A to B
from A to Z
(Definition of A, a from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

a | American Dictionary

a
preposition
us
/ə/

a preposition (EACH OR EVERY)

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in or for each or every; per:
Take one tablet three times a day.
These shoes cost $30 a pair.
A
noun
us
/eɪ/

A noun (LETTER)

[ C ] (also a) plural A’s or a’s
the first letter of the English alphabet

A noun (MUSICAL NOTE)

[ C/U ]   music   plural A’s or As
in Western music, the sixth note in the scale (= series of notes) that begins on the note C, or a set of notes based on this note

A noun (MARK)

[ C ] plural A’s or As
a mark that means excellent, given to something of the highest quality, esp. school work:
The teacher gave me an A for my essay.
(Definition of A, a from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
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Translations of A, a

in Chinese (Traditional)
字母, （英文字母表的第一個字母）, 音樂…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
字母, （英语字母表的第一个字母）, 音乐…
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in Spanish
primera letra del abecedario inglés:, A, a…
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in Portuguese
primeira letra do alfabeto, A, a…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Polish
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Italian
英字アルファベットの第1字…
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alfabenin ilk harfi…
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A, a [masculine], un [masculine]…
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primera lletra de l’alfabet anglès: A, a…
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A, a…
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A, a [masculine], en…
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에이, 영어 알파벳의 첫번째 글자…
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prima lettera dell’alfabeto inglese…
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