What does “period” mean?
- 1
nouna length of time
The store will be closed for a short period.
- 2
nouna particular time in history or in someone’s life
This was a difficult period in her life.
- 3
nounthe dot (.) used at the end of a sentence
Don’t forget the period at the end.
Period at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈpɪriəd/ · PEER-ee-ud
How to use “period” correctly
In US English, the dot at the end of a sentence is a “period”; in British English it is a “full stop.”
Common phrases with “period”
- over a period of
- time period
- trial period
- for a period of
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- periodic
- periodically
“period” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- century nounA2a period of one hundred years
- event nounA2something that happens, especially something important or unusual
- history nounA2the study of events that happened in the past
- moment nounA2a very short period of time
- past nounA2the time before now
- present nounA2something you give to someone, for example on their birthday
- stage nounA2a part or point in a process
- age nounA1the number of years someone has lived or something has existed