What does "period" mean?
A length of time.
Period
/ˈpɪə.ɹi.əd/ adj, intj, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A length of time.
- Grammar: period is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: duration, full stop, interval, menstruation.
- Useful contrasts: commas, continue, doubt.
- Usage evidence: The students' lunch period is from twelve to one.
How to use "period"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "period" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "period" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "period" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "period" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "period" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "duration" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "period", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A length of time.
"There was a period of confusion following the announcement."
- 2 a punctuation mark (‘.’) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations wordnet
- 3 A length of time in history seen as a single coherent entity; an epoch, era.
"Food rationing continued in the post-war period."
- 4 the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause wordnet
- 5 The punctuation mark “.” (indicating the ending of a sentence or marking an abbreviation). Canada, Philippines, US
"‘You know, a period? The black spot at the end of a sentence — what do you call them over there?’"
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 an amount of time wordnet
- 7 A decisive end to something; a stop. figuratively
"My sufferings, physical and mental, are more than I can bear, and when such small arrangements as I have to make for your future well-being are completed it is my intention to put a period to them."
- 8 the end or completion of something wordnet
- 9 The length of time during which the same characteristics of a periodic phenomenon recur, such as the repetition of a wave or the rotation of a planet.
- 10 a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed wordnet
- 11 Female menstruation; an episode of this. euphemistic
"When she is on her period, she prefers not to go swimming."
- 12 (ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games wordnet
- 13 Female menstruation; an episode of this.; The set of symptoms associated with menstruation, even if not accompanied by menstruation; an episode of these symptoms. euphemistic
- 14 the interval taken to complete one cycle of a regularly repeating phenomenon wordnet
- 15 A section of an artist's, writer's (etc.) career distinguished by a given quality, preoccupation etc.
"This is one of the last paintings Picasso created during his Blue Period."
- 16 Each of the divisions into which a school day is split, allocated to a given subject or activity.
"I have math class in second period."
- 17 Each of the intervals, typically three, of which a game is divided.
"Gretzky scored in the last minute of the second period."
- 18 One or more additional intervals to decide a tied game, an overtime period.
"They won in the first overtime period."
- 19 The length of time for a disease to run its course. obsolete
- 20 An end or conclusion; the final point of a process, a state, an event, etc. archaic
"As thus all gazed on hir, so she glaunced hir lookes on all, surueying them as curiously, as they noted hir exactly, but at last she set downe her period on the face of Alexis […]"
- 21 A complete sentence, especially one expressing a single thought or making a balanced, rhythmic whole. rhetoric
"Periods are beautiful when they are not too long."
- 22 A specific moment during a given process; a point, a stage. obsolete
"The Death of Patroclus was the most eminent Period; and consequently the most proper Time for such Games."
- 23 A row in the periodic table of the elements.
- 24 A geochronologic unit of millions to tens of millions of years; a subdivision of an era, and subdivided into epochs.
"These fossils are from the Jurassic period."
- 25 A Drosophila gene, the gene product of which is involved in regulation of the circadian rhythm.
"Polyclonal antibodies were prepared against the period gene product, which influences biological rhythms in D. melanogaster, by using small synthetic peptides from the per sequence as immunogens."
- 26 Two phrases (an antecedent and a consequent phrase).
- 27 The length of an interval over which a periodic function, periodic sequence or repeating decimal repeats; often the least such length.
Verb
- 1 To come to a period; to conclude. intransitive, obsolete
"For you may period upon this, that where there is the most pity for others, there is the greatest misery in the party pitied."
- 2 To put an end to. obsolete, rare, transitive
- 3 To menstruate; to excrete menstrual blood. colloquial
Adjective
- 1 Designating anything from a given historical era. not-comparable
"a period car"
- 2 Evoking, or appropriate for, a particular historical period, especially through the use of elaborate costumes and scenery. not-comparable
"a period piece"
- 3 Menstrual. not-comparable
"period pains"
Intj
- 1 That's final; that's the end of the matter (analogous to a period ending a sentence); end of story. Canada, US
"I know you don't want to go to the dentist, but your teeth need to be checked, period!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The students' lunch period is from twelve to one."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "period"?
Common synonyms include: duration, full stop, interval, menstruation, period of time, span.
How do you use "period" in a sentence?
The students' lunch period is from twelve to one.
How do you pronounce "period"?
Pronounced /ˈpɪə.ɹi.əd/.
Etymology
From Middle English periode, from Middle French periode, from Medieval Latin periodus, from Ancient Greek περίοδος (períodos, “circuit, orbit, a recurring interval of time, path around”), from περι- (peri-, “around”) + ὁδός (hodós, “way”). Displaced native Middle English tide (“interval, period, season”), from Old English tīd (“time, period, season”), as well as Middle English elde (“age, period”), from Old English ieldu (“age, period of time”).