This crisis might last for a long period of time. [+ of]
...a period of a few months. [+ of]
...for a limited period only.
Synonyms: time, term, season, space More Synonyms of period
2. countable noun
A period in the life of a person, organization, or society is a length of time which is remembered for a particular situation or activity.
...a period of economic good health and expansion. [+ of]
He went through a period of wanting to be accepted. [+ of]
The South African years were his most creative period.
3. countable noun
A particular length of time in history is sometimes called a period. For example, you can talk about the Victorian period or the Elizabethan period in Britain.
...the Roman period.
No reference to their existence appears in any literature of the period.
...the most difficult periods of history.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Period costumes, furniture, and instruments were made at an earlier time in history, or look as if they weremade then.
...dressed in full period costume.
...replicas of period instruments.
5. countable noun [usually noun NOUN]
Exercise, training, or study periods are lengths of time that are set aside for exercise, training, or study.
They accompanied him during his exercise periods.
6. countable noun
At a school or college, a period is one of the parts that the day is divided into during which lessons or other activities take place.
...periods of private study. [+ of]
...taking his scripts to school in order to learn the lines in free periods.
7. countable noun
When a woman has a period, she bleeds from her womb. This usually happens once a month.
8. adverb
Some people say period after stating a fact or opinion when they want to emphasize that they are definite about something and do not want to discuss it further.
[emphasis]
I don't want to do it, period.
9. countable noun
A period is the punctuation mark (.) which you use at the end of a sentence when it is nota question or an exclamation.
[US]regional note: in BRIT, use full stop
More Synonyms of period
period in British English
(ˈpɪərɪəd)
noun
1.
a portion of time of indefinable length
he spent a period away from home
2.
a.
a portion of time specified in some way
the Arthurian period
Picasso's blue period
b.
(as modifier)
period costume
3.
a nontechnical name for an occurrence of menstruation
4. geology
a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks is formed
the Jurassic period
5.
a division of time, esp of the academic day
6. physics, mathematics
a.
the time taken to complete one cycle of a regularly recurring phenomenon; the reciprocal of frequency
Symbol: T
b.
an interval in which the values of a periodic function follow a certain pattern that is duplicated over successive intervals
sin x = sin (x + 2π), where 2π is the period
7. astronomy
a.
the time required by a body to make one complete rotation on its axis
b.
the time interval between two successive maxima or minima of light variation of a variable star
8. chemistry
one of the horizontal rows of elements in the periodic table. Each period starts with an alkali metal and ends with a rare gas
Compare group (sense 11)
9. Also called: full stop
the punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence that is not a question or exclamation, after abbreviations, etc
10.
a complete sentence, esp a complex one with several clauses
11. Also called: sentence music
a passage or division of a piece of music, usually consisting of two or more contrasting or complementary musical phrases and ending on a cadence
12.
(in classical prosody) a unit consisting of two or more cola
13. rare
a completion or end
Word origin
C14 peryod, from Latin periodus, from Greek periodos circuit, from peri- + hodos way
period in American English
(ˈpɪriəd)
noun
1.
the interval between recurrent astronomical events, as between two full moons
2.
the interval between certain happenings
a ten-year period of peace
3.
a portion of time, often indefinite, characterized by certain events, processes, conditions, etc.; stage
a period of change, the present period
4.
any of the portions of time into which an event of fixed duration, as a game or a school day, is divided
5.
the full course, or one of the stages, of a disease
6.
an occurrence of menstruation; menses
7.
an end, completion, or conclusion, or a point of time marking this
death put a period to his plans
8. Geology
a subdivision of an era in geologic time corresponding to the rock strata of a system (sense 10)
9. Grammar and Rhetoric
a.
a sentence, esp. a balanced, well-constructed, complex sentence
b.
the natural pause in speaking used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
c.
the mark of punctuation (.) used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence
d.
the dot (.) following many abbreviations
10. Ancient Mathematics
the interval from one repetition to the next of a recurrent or self-duplicating function
11. Music
a group of two or more related phrases ending with a cadence
12. Physics
the interval of time necessary for a regularly recurring motion to make a complete cycle
13. Prosody
a rhythm group of two or more cola in the Greek system
adjective
14.
of or like that of an earlier period or age
period furniture
interjection
15. Informal
used to indicate that the preceding statement is the speaker's last, conclusive, word on the subject
be home by midnight or you're grounded, period!
SYNONYMY NOTE: period is the general term for any portion of time; , epoch, era are often used interchangeably, but in strict discrimination , epoch applies to the beginning of a new period marked by radical changes, new developments,etc. and , era, to the entire period [the steam engine marked an epoch in transportation, an era of revolution]; age is applied to a period identified with some dominant personality or distinctive characteristic[the Stone Age]; eon refers to an indefinitely long period [it all happened eons ago]
Word origin
ME paryode < MFr periode < L periodus < Gr periodos, a going around, cycle < peri-, around + hodos, way < IE base *sed-, to go > Sans ā-sad-, go toward
period in Electrical Engineering
(pɪəriəd)
Word forms: (regular plural) periods
noun
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Electrical power, Computing and control)
A period is the duration between repetitions of a waveform cycle.
Average power is calculated by dividing joules by seconds over a period of one or more whole waveform cycles.
When capturing waveforms with long periods, the total time needed to capture the waveform is dominated by the time it takesthe waveform to make the requisite number of repetitions.
A period is the duration between repetitions of a waveform cycle.
COBUILD Collocations
period
difficult period
holiday period
lengthy period
minimum period
notice period
prolonged period
recovery period
transition period
transitional period
Examples of 'period' in a sentence
period
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Two years are a rather short period.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The images of the ideal festive period do not end there.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The festive period can be tough with games coming thick and fast.
The Sun (2016)
We want to make sure these people enjoy that period.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
People taking high doses for long periods?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Cosy period dramas make for perfect winter viewing but are often filmed in summer.
The Sun (2016)
When the researchers compared the two time periods they found a strong link between being upset or angry and having a heart attack.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The average productivity of companies in the study declined by 0.3 per cent over the period of the study.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Often they are way off, and I suspect we are entering one of those periods now.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You get hero points or zero points for choosing to take a holiday at certain periods.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This is done over a period of one to two weeks.
Trickett, Shirley Coming Off Tranquillizers and Sleeping Pills (1991)
Stoke took the lead ten minutes into the second period.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Qualifying periods are something that consumers also need to be aware of.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Progress reviews are held regularly until the end of the period for which the objectives were established.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
There is a period of about two weeks when all these beds burst through.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We are right now in the most discouraging period of that long conflict.
Christianity Today (2000)
This is significantly more interesting than peering at period furniture.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The house is full of period character and boasts stunning views.
The Sun (2014)
This will help you deal with any additional stress over the festive period with ease.
The Sun (2013)
We will focus on the important games coming up in a short period of time.
The Sun (2013)
You could look at the period costumes.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They visit over a period of days those sites suggested by the most vigorous dances.
Evans, Peter & Deehan, Geoff The Descent of Mind - the how and why of intelligence (1990)
This is a chaotic period during a cycle of amazing growth.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But he is now expected to arrange and plan a period of training for his troops.
The Sun (2008)
The traumatic period in its history is now largely glossed over.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It looks at the length of service of current employees added together over a certain period.
Torrington, Derek Personnel Management: A New Approach (1991)
The leave can be taken in one period of two weeks or one period of one week.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
More vigorous activity for shorter periods had the same effect as less intense exercise carried out for longer.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A beautiful period drama based on a true story.
The Sun (2014)
A Japanese study found that liquorice was of help to women with infrequent periods.
Colette Harris, With Theresa Cheung PCOS DIET BOOK: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycysticovary syndrome (2002)
In other languages
period
British English: period /ˈpɪərɪəd/ NOUN
A particular period is a particular length of time.
...a period of a few months.
American English: period
Arabic: مُدَّةً
Brazilian Portuguese: período
Chinese: 时期
Croatian: period
Czech: období
Danish: periode
Dutch: periode
European Spanish: periodo
Finnish: ajanjakso
French: période
German: Periode
Greek: περίοδος
Italian: periodo
Japanese: 期間
Korean: 기간
Norwegian: tidsrom
Polish: okres
European Portuguese: período
Romanian: perioadă
Russian: период
Latin American Spanish: periodo
Swedish: period
Thai: ระยะเวลา
Turkish: dönem
Ukrainian: період
Vietnamese: thời kỳ
British English: period ADJECTIVE
Period costumes, furniture, and instruments were made at an earlier time in history, or look as if they were made then.
...dressed in full period costume.
American English: period
Brazilian Portuguese: da época
Chinese: 具特定历史时期特点的
European Spanish: de época
French: d'époque
German: zeitgenössisch
Italian: d'epoca
Japanese: 時代物の
Korean: 역사상 특정한 시대의
European Portuguese: da época
Latin American Spanish: de época
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'period'
base period
a neutral period used as a standard for comparison in constructing an index to express a variable factor : 100 is usually taken as the index number for the variable in the base period
Edo period
the period of Japanese history from 1603 to 1867, when Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shoguns
free period
a portion of time during which there is little or no activity
peak period
the busiest or most popular time
period pain
Period pain is the pain that some women have when they menstruate.
rest period
a period of rest
safe period
the period during the menstrual cycle when conception is considered least likely to occur
budget period
the time which a budget covers
grace period
a period of time allowed before something has to be finished or before a debt or loan has to be repaid
latent period
the incubation period of an infectious disease, before symptoms appear
notice period
A period is a length of time.
period costs
Period costs are general costs that cannot be associated with a particular product, such as utilities or insurance .
period detail
You can refer to the small features of something which are often not noticed as detail .
period drama
a drama set in a particular historical period
period pains
pain suffered during a monthly period
period piece
A period piece is a play, book , or film that is set at a particular time in history and describes life at that time.
study period
a period of time or lesson used for studying
trial period
a period of time for testing or assessment
tutor period
(in British secondary schools ) a school period for which a tutor group comes together with their tutor
critical period
a period in a lifetime during which a specific stage of development usually occurs. If it fails to do so, it cannot readily occur afterwards
deferred period
The deferred period is the period of time from when a person has become unable to work until the time that the benefit begins to be paid .
fertile period
the time during a woman's menstrual cycle at which she is most likely to become pregnant , or the equivalent time for an animal
glacial period
any period of time during which a large part of the earth's surface was covered with ice , due to the advance of glaciers , as in the late Carboniferous period, and during most of the Pleistocene ; glaciation
holiday period
A period is a length of time.
latency period
a period according to Freud , from the age of about five to puberty , when sexual interest is diminished
lengthy period
A period is a length of time.
minimum period
A period is a length of time.
payback period
the period in which money owed , debts , etc, have to be paid back
period costume
the attire typical of a particular period in time
Question Period
a period of time set aside each day for members of parliament to question government ministers
recovery period
A period is a length of time.
sidereal period
the period of revolution of a body about another with respect to one or more distant stars
Tertiary period
→ the Tertiary period
tontine period
the stipulated period during which a tontine life assurance system is in operation
trading period
A trading period is a set length of time, usually a number of weeks , months , quarters , or years , in which sales are measured and compared to previous periods.
waiting period
A waiting period is a period of time after insurance coverage has been bought during which no claims can be made.
accounting period
a period of time for which accounts are drawn up
development period
a length of time during which a company grows
difficult period
A period is a length of time.
honeymoon period
a period of popularity enjoyed by a new government, or a new occupant of a post
incubation period
the time between exposure to an infectious disease and the appearance of the first signs or symptoms
menstrual period
the bleeding from the womb that occurs approximately monthly in nonpregnant women of reproductive age
period fireplace
In a room, the fireplace is the place where a fire can be lit and the area on the wall and floor surrounding this place.
period furniture
furniture that was made during a particular period in time
prolonged period
A period is a length of time.
refractory period
a period during which a nerve or muscle is incapable of responding to stimulation, esp immediately following a previous stimulation. In an absolute refractory period there is a total inability to respond; in an effective or relative refractory period there is a response to very large stimuli
transition period
A period is a length of time.
consultation period
a period during which consultations are held before a policy decision is made
cooling-off period
A cooling-off period is an agreed period of time during which two sides with opposing views try to resolve a dispute before taking any serious action.
period of rotation
the mean time taken for one body, such as a planet , to complete a revolution about another, such as the sun