female
adjective
fe·male
| \ ˈfē-ˌmāl
\
\
Definition of female
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1)
: of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs
In a field of milkweed, I watched a female monarch butterfly deposit a single egg on the underside of a leaf.— Tom Tyning A few months later, she became the highest paid female performer on the Great White Way.— Susannah McCorkle
(2)
: having or producing only pistils or pistillate flowers
a female holly female inflorescences
b
: made up of usually adult members of the female sex : consisting of females
the female workforce
c
: characteristic of girls, women, or the female sex : exhibiting femaleness
composed for female voices a female name
d
: designed for or typically used by girls or women
a female glove
e
: engaged in or exercised by girls or women
female suffrage
2
: having some quality (such as small size or delicacy of sound) associated with the female sex
female castanets
3
: designed with a hollow or groove into which a corresponding male part fits
the female coupling of a hose
female
nounDefinition of female (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: a female person : a woman or a girl
b
: an individual of the sex that is typically capable of bearing young or producing eggs
2
: a pistillate plant
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Synonyms & Antonyms for female
Synonyms: Adjective
feminine, womanish, womanlike, womanly
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of female in a Sentence
Adjective
Most extension cords have a male plug on one end and a female plug on the other. female standards of housekeeping imposed by the women at the vacation cottage weren't especially popular with the menNoun
She attended a school where there were more males than females. Females of this species weigh 8 to 10 pounds.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Apparently, a male, female and a fledgling were feeding at the edge of the native chaparral. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Wet winter brings variety of visitors to garden," 3 Aug. 2019 According to NPR’s Kennedy, Shine and his colleagues emphasize that the embryos probably aren’t making a conscious decision to become male or female. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Turtle Embryos May Be Able to Influence Their Sex by Moving Around Inside the Egg," 2 Aug. 2019 As works by male artists—think Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning—become more scarce, dealers and auction houses are focusing buyers’ attention on some of their overlooked—and undervalued—female peers, like Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler. — Fortune, "The Skyrocketing Value of Women’s Art: The Broadsheet," 2 Aug. 2019 Indeed, the media was far more likely to call upon male rather than female academics to offer their political expertise during the 2016 US presidential elections, as professors Emily Beaulieu and Kathleen Searles have observed. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "A top US political science journal ignored race and gender—until 12 women took over," 31 July 2019 Both adults in the pack, the male and female, were killed by other wolves over the winter, according to Dave Schirokauer, the park’s resources and science team leader. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Looking to see a wolf at Denali? A grassroots bus-driver survey puts the odds at ‘not-quite nonexistent’," 29 July 2019 Eisenberg, Nivola, and a hilariously brusque Imogen Poots (as Sensei’s only female student) are more than up to the task of finding the comedy in scenes of nasty violence or brooding anxiety. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "The Art of Self-Defense," 19 July 2019 Swale’s script follows the obstacles faced by the first female students admitted to Cambridge University in 1896. — Hannah Herrera Greenspan, chicagotribune.com, "Promethean Theatre Ensemble announces 14th season," 16 July 2019 After a female college student accused her ex-boyfriend of groping her in her sleep, Purdue University conducted a strikingly biased investigation and hearing. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 11 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The shooting victims — a 17-year-old female, three 18-year-old males and two 19-year-old males — are expected to recover from their injuries, Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said Sunday. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "At least 6 teens are shot at a Houston ‘instant house party’ organized on Snapchat," 19 Aug. 2019 The missing teen is described as a white female who stands 5 feet 1 inches tall, weighs 97 pounds, has blonde hair and blue eyes. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Statewide Amber Alert declared for missing Indiana teen," 18 Aug. 2019 The shooting victims -- a 17-year-old female, three 18-year-old males and two 19-year-old males -- are expected to recover from their injuries, Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said Sunday. — Artemis Moshtaghian And Holly Yan, CNN, "At least 6 teens are shot at a Houston 'instant house party' organized on Snapchat," 18 Aug. 2019 The time is the fastest ever run by a female in any one-mile race in Ohio. — Mike Peticca, cleveland.com, "2019 Guardian Mile: Shannon Osika sets Ohio record; top four men break 4 minutes," 17 Aug. 2019 Norris, who is currently serving a federal sentence in West Virginia for armed bank robbery, has prior arrests for armed burglary, aggravated assault, assault on a female and kidnapping. — Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, "Chilling rape case from 36 years ago solved, Coral Springs cops say," 16 Aug. 2019 So the zookeepers decided to give Skip — short for Skipper — and Ping a shot at fatherhood after a 22-year-old female, called The Orange because of the color of her wings, laid an egg in July. — Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, "Gay penguins, and their hope for a baby, have enchanted Berlin," 14 Aug. 2019 Late in the day, male tarantulas emerge and begin looking for a receptive female. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Milkweed offers great learning activity for kids," 10 Aug. 2019 Officer Santillanes met with the reportee who stated on July 6, 2019 at approximately 1325 hours, a skinny black female used a fraudulent check to purchase an alternator from the business. — Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police Department weekly report," 5 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'female.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for female
female
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of female
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of or relating to the sex that can produce young or lay eggs