female
having or relating to a gender identity that corresponds to a complex, variable set of social and cultural roles, traits, and behaviors assigned to people of the sex that typically produces egg cells. : See Usage note at gender1
Biology. of, relating to, or being an animal or human of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces egg cells during reproduction.: See Usage note at sex1
Botany. designating or relating to a plant or its reproductive structure that produces or contains elements requiring fertilization.
Botany. (of seed plants) pistillate.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a female person; feminine: female suffrage;female charm.
comprising female people: a female readership.
Machinery. being or having a recessed part into which a corresponding part fits: a female plug.: Compare male (def. 5).
a female person.: See Usage note at the current entry.
Biology. an animal, plant, or plant structure of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces egg cells during reproduction.
Origin of female
1synonym study For female
usage note For female
Other words from female
- fe·male·ness, noun
- an·ti·fe·male, adjective
- un·fe·male, adjective
Words that may be confused with female
- female , feminine (see synonym study at the current entry)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use female in a sentence
Both males and females at parties, weddings, and celebrations perform it.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread | IranWire | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“Hence, there might be a net benefit, at least to some females, of breeding within the natal group,” the researchers speculate.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family | Helen Thompson | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA lot of people think females are too weak for the job, but I know that all the men she worked with saw her as one of the guys.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter | Christopher Moraff | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOnly five African-American females hold a rank higher than GS-14 within the Secret Service.
It’s Not Just the Cops—Racism Is a Problem for the Secret Service, Too | Bill Conroy | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis work also provides a graphic account of injured females who were assaulted by marauding “gangs” of Adélie males.
Lovable ‘Madagascar’ Penguins Are Known to Rape and Torture in Real Life | Asawin Suebsaeng | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Orellana was very warmly received by armed swift-footed females, which originated the fanciful name Amazonia.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellI should judge from the streets that not more than one-fourth of the females of Galway belong to the shoe-wearing aristocracy.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyThis distinction is very useful in identifying young birds and females, which are sometimes very much alike.
Birds of Guernsey (1879) | Cecil SmithAfter the gentle sex had to a great extent given up the habit, some strong minded females were to be found who retained it.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.By statute a later date, twenty-one for males and eighteen for females has been fixed in many states.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
British Dictionary definitions for female
/ (ˈfiːmeɪl) /
of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)
of, relating to, or characteristic of a woman: female charm
for or composed of women or girls: female suffrage; a female choir
(of reproductive organs such as the ovary and carpel) capable of producing female gametes
(of gametes such as the ovum) capable of being fertilized by a male gamete in sexual reproduction
(of flowers) lacking, or having nonfunctional, stamens
having an internal cavity into which a projecting male counterpart can be fitted: a female thread
a female animal or plant
derogatory a woman or girl
Origin of female
1Derived forms of female
- femaleness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for female
[ fē′māl′ ]
In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is larger and less motile than the other corresponding gamete (the male gamete) of the same species. The egg cells of higher animals and plants are female gametes.
Possessing or being a structure that produces only female gametes. The ovaries of humans are female reproductive organs. Female flowers possess only carpels and no stamens.
Having the genitalia or other structures typical of a female organism. Worker ants are female but sterile.
A female organism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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