plural IPAs
: a pale ale made with extra hops : india pale ale
American beers, especially IPAs, are still quite hoppy …Lauren Buzzeo
: an alphabet designed to represent each human speech sound with a unique symbol

IPA

3 of 3

abbreviation

individual practice association

Examples of IPA in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Mighty Fine Fest, a celebration of west coast IPA, is debuting in June 2025. Don Tse, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025 Reminiscent of a Dole Whip soft serve, the Pineapple Swirl is a double milkshake IPA with pineapple purée, vanilla, soft serve, and milk sugar. Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 May 2025 Two hours before each Padres home game, Mission’s East Village taproom offers two beers for $5 a pint: Shipwrecked Double IPA and Old Mission Lager. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025 The company has won awards from the Great American Beer Festival for its hazy IPA, Citrus Surfer Fruited Wheat and Festbier, a Bavarian-style Märzen. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for IPA

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

India Pale Ale

Noun (2)

International Phonetic Alphabet

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of IPA was in 1893

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“IPA.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/IPA. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Medical Definition

IPA

abbreviation
independent practice association; individual practice association

Note: An independent practice association is made up of a group of physicians in private practice who join in an association that contracts with a managed health-care plan (as an HMO) to provide medical services to patients enrolled in the plan.

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