period

period — noun

1. a stretch of time with a clear start and finish

1.nounB1
Definition

a stretch of time with a clear start and finish

Example

The museum closed for a short period during roof repairs.

collocation: for a short period

After a long period abroad, Mina missed Taipei night markets.

Common collocations
  • short period
  • long period
  • holiday period
  • for a period
Synonyms
  • time

    the most general word; period more often suggests a bounded stretch

  • stretch

    more informal and often emphasizes continuity

  • span

    slightly more formal and common with measured lengths

  • interval

    often the gap between two events rather than any duration

Usage Note

Common with adjectives like short, long, and brief, and in phrases such as for a period. Distinguish from noun/2, which refers to a named stage in life or history.

2. a named stage in someone's life or in a country's past

2.nounB2
Definition

a named stage in someone's life or in a country's past

Example

The novel shows Clara's happiest period as a young mother.

pattern: [name]'s ... period

Many poems from that period describe life after the war.

Common collocations
  • postwar period
  • Paris period
  • peaceful period
  • early period
Synonyms
  • era

    usually a broader historical time

  • phase

    often one part of a process or development

  • stage

    common for one step in life or growth

  • age

    can suggest a long historical or cultural condition

Usage Note

Often follows a personal, artistic, or historical label, as in his Paris period or the postwar period. Distinguish from noun/1, which can be any stretch of time, named or unnamed.

3. one teaching block in a school day, usually for one subject

3.nounB1
Definition

one teaching block in a school day, usually for one subject

Example

Our first period on Monday is science with Mr. Lee.

pattern: first/second/last period

Nina forgot her gym shoes before third period began.

Common collocations
  • first period
  • third period
  • lunch period
  • last period
Synonyms
  • lesson

    focuses on the teaching session itself

  • class

    very common when referring to the subject meeting

  • slot

    emphasizes the position in the timetable

  • session

    broader and sometimes longer than a school period

Usage Note

Usually appears with ordinal numbers or modifiers like first, third, lunch, and last. In school talk, it can mean both the timetable slot and the class that happens in that slot.

4. one official section of playing time in a game

4.nounB2
Definition

one official section of playing time in a game

Example

The Tigers scored twice in the second period.

sports pattern: second period

Fans stood and cheered at the end of the final period.

Common collocations
  • second period
  • third period
  • final period
  • period break
Synonyms
  • section

    general word for one part of a game

  • quarter

    only for games divided into four parts

  • stage

    broader and less sport-specific

  • frame

    used only in some sports, not a general equivalent

Usage Note

Most often used with ordinal numbers in sports that divide play into set sections, especially ice hockey. Distinguish from noun/3, which is about the school timetable.

5. the monthly bleeding from the uterus that happens when there is no pregnancy

5.nounB1
Definition

the monthly bleeding from the uterus that happens when there is no pregnancy

Example

Ella stayed home because her period started that morning.

common verb: period started

Some students keep pain medicine in their bags during their period.

Common collocations
  • get your period
  • start your period
  • last period
  • period pain
Synonyms

Usage Note

In everyday English, people often say just period, especially with have, get, start, or be on. In medical or formal writing, menstrual period is clearer.

Common Mistakes

I got period yesterday.
I got my period yesterday.
This sense usually takes a possessive word such as my, her, or your.

6. the small round mark written after a sentence or some shortened words

6.nounB2
Definition

the small round mark written after a sentence or some shortened words

Example

Please put a period after the final word.

pattern: put a period after

In American English, Dr. often takes a period.

usage: abbreviations with period

Common collocations
  • put a period
  • missing period
  • period after Dr.
  • final period
Synonyms
  • full stop

    the standard term in British English

  • dot

    informal and focused on the shape

  • point

    used in some technical settings, but less common in grammar teaching

Usage Note

Commoner in American English; British English usually says full stop for the punctuation mark. Distinguish from noun/7, where period is added for emphasis after a statement.

Common Mistakes

Put a point at the end of the sentence.
Put a period at the end of the sentence.
In American English, period is the usual grammar term.

7. a word added after a strong statement to show the speaker considers the matter c

7.nounC1
Definition

a word added after a strong statement to show the speaker considers the matter closed

Example

I'm not lending him money this month, period.

informal finality: statement + period

The coach said practice starts at six, period.

Common collocations
  • say period after a statement
  • end with period for emphasis
Synonyms

Usage Note

Mostly informal and especially common in American English. It usually follows a short, forceful statement and adds blunt finality.

Common Mistakes

Add a period after the sentence' when you mean the emphatic word.
Add the word period after the sentence for emphasis.
Sense 7 is the extra word, not the punctuation mark in sense 6.

period — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, period is a neutral word for a bounded amount of time. Time is much broader and can mean duration in general, without suggesting clear limits. Span is slightly more formal and often appears with numbers or measured lengths, as in a three-year span. Stretch is more informal and often suggests that the time felt long or continuous, especially in phrases like a quiet stretch or a difficult stretch. Interval usually means the space between two events, so it often points to a gap rather than the whole duration itself. You can say The museum closed for a short period, but a short interval usually means the time between two activities.

timespan ↗stretch ↗interval ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Period came into English through French from Latin periodus, which in turn came from Greek periodos, literally a going around or circuit. That idea of a complete course later developed into the sense of a complete stretch of time. From there, English extended the word to stages in history or life, and eventually to the punctuation mark that brings a sentence to a full stop.