what is ampersand symbol
January 29, 2011. The ampersand (&) is a symbol for and. Unlike the percent or degree symbol, you generally shouldn't use the ampersand except in the most informal situations. Some style guides allow ampersands as part of a formal company name (Smith & Wesson, Tiffany & Co.). Other style guides recommend spelling out the and in such cases. Most style guides recommend using the ampersand when the rest of the name is also an abbreviation (AT&T) and in common expressions (R&D). As you see here, there are no spaces on either side of the ampersand when it is used that way.