MP
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Member of Parliament |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Technology & Computing, Military, Geography & Places, Texting & Internet Slang |
MP has six meanings. The most common are Member of Parliament (UK government) and Megapixel (consumer electronics); it can also stand for Military police, Northern Mariana Islands, Mana points and Multiplayer.
Meanings of MP at a glance
| # | MP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Member of Parliament | Government & Politics › UK Government |
| 2 | Megapixel | Technology & Computing › Consumer Electronics |
| 3 | Military police | Military › Military Term |
| 4 | Northern Mariana Islands | Geography & Places › US Territory and Military Mail |
| 5 | Mana points | Texting & Internet Slang › Gaming Slang |
| 6 | Multiplayer | Texting & Internet Slang › Gaming Slang |
1. Member of Parliament
Government & Politics · UK Government Abbreviations
Elected member of the House of Commons, representing one of 650 constituencies chosen by first-past-the-post at general elections held at least every five years. The title is also used for elected legislators in Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand and other parliamentary systems.
Example: Constituents wrote to their MP asking her to oppose the closure of the local station.
MPs place the letters after their names, as in "Jane Smith MP", and lose the title when Parliament is dissolved before an election. Canada's House of Commons had 343 MPs after the 2025 election, and Australia's House of Representatives has 150. In policing and the military, MP means military police.
2. Megapixel
Technology & Computing · Consumer Electronics Abbreviations · also used in measurement
One million pixels, the unit used to describe the resolution of camera sensors and images. A 12 MP photo is about 4,000 by 3,000 pixels.
Example: The phone's main camera is 48 MP, but it saves 12 MP photos by default.
More megapixels allow larger prints and more cropping, but sensor size, lens quality and processing matter more for image quality, especially in low light. Many phone sensors use pixel binning, combining four or more pixels into one, to improve low-light performance. A 12 MP image prints at about 13 by 10 inches at 300 DPI. MP also means member of Parliament or military police.
3. Military police
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
Soldiers and Marines who enforce law and order on installations, control traffic, guard prisoners, conduct investigations and provide security in the field. The Navy relies on masters-at-arms and the Air Force on security forces for the same functions.
Example: An MP stopped the car at the gate and checked the driver's ID.
The Army Military Police Corps was established as a permanent branch on September 26, 1941. MPs operate under military law and, inside the United States, are limited by the Posse Comitatus Act when dealing with civilians off post. In British and Canadian politics, MP means Member of Parliament.
4. Northern Mariana Islands
Geography & Places · US Territory and Military Mail Abbreviations
Fourteen islands north of Guam, including Saipan, Tinian and Rota, that form a US commonwealth under a covenant approved in 1976; residents gained US citizenship in 1986. Saipan is the seat of government, and the territory uses ZIP codes beginning 969.
Example: The resort's mailing address is Garapan, Saipan, MP 96950.
MP matches the ISO alpha-2 code (alpha-3 MNP) and the .mp domain. The territory is usually called the CNMI. Tinian was the launch site of the 1945 atomic bombing missions against Japan. MP also means military police and Member of Parliament, so context decides.
5. Mana points
Texting & Internet Slang · Gaming Slang Abbreviations · also used in entertainment
Resource that powers spells and special abilities in role-playing games, shown as a blue bar in many titles. Also called magic points.
Example: I'm out of MP, someone else needs to heal for a bit.
Common in Japanese RPGs such as Final Fantasy, where spells cost a set number of MP. Western games often call the same resource mana or energy. In multiplayer discussions MP means multiplayer, so the setting matters. OOM (out of mana) is the related warning.
6. Multiplayer
Texting & Internet Slang · Gaming Slang Abbreviations
Game mode in which multiple people play together, online or locally, as in "the MP is great but the campaign is short." Used in reviews, menus and discussions.
Example: The MP keeps me coming back even though the campaign took six hours.
Contrasted with SP (single-player). In role-playing games MP more often means mana points or magic points, the resource used to cast spells, so context distinguishes them. Review sites often score MP and SP separately.
Related abbreviations
More UK government abbreviations
- MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
- MoD – Ministry of Defence
- MoJ – Ministry of Justice
- MOT – MOT test
- MPC – Monetary Policy Committee
- MS – Member of the Senedd
- MSP – Member of the Scottish Parliament
- NCA – National Crime Agency
See all 91 UK government abbreviations →