lesbian
lesbian
American
[lez-bee-uhn]
/ ˈlɛz bi ən /
noun
-
lesbians
plural
-
-
a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women; a gay woman.
-
a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women; a gay woman.
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Lesbian, an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos.
adjective
-
-
of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of her own sex or gender.
-
of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of her own sex or gender.
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Lesbian, of or relating to Lesbos.
Lesbian
1
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Lesbos
-
the Aeolic dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Lesbos
adjective
-
of or relating to Lesbos
-
of or relating to the poetry of Lesbos, esp that of Sappho
lesbian
2
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
adjective
lesbian
Cultural
Usage
What's the difference between lesbian and Sapphic? See gay ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lesbian
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin Lesbi(us) “Lesbian” (from Greek Lésbios, equivalent to Lésb(os) “Lesbos” ( see Lesbos) + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; lesbian defs. 1, 3 allude to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, whose verse deals largely with her emotional relationships with other women
Explanation
A lesbian is a woman who is attracted to other women. Two married women are in a lesbian relationship. This is a word for women who are homosexual. Though homosexual women are often called gay, it's more common to call them lesbians. Lesbians are sexually attracted to other women. You can also use this word as an adjective. For example, a gay female director is a lesbian film maker. There could also be a book of lesbian fiction. This word comes from the name of the island of Lesbos, whose famous poet Sappho was believed to be a lesbian.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To the best of their knowledge, they are the only openly lesbian and gay direct descendants of Jefferson and Hemings.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Amanda Nunes, the greatest female MMA fighter of all time, is an out lesbian from Brazil.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
She was just coming out as a lesbian to her family, and recalls seeing a little girl with her two moms at a protest carrying a sign that read “My moms take me bowling.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Herzi’s slender, unassuming drama contains few emotional crescendos or grand insights, although this is the rare French film to center on a Muslim lesbian as its protagonist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
“I grew up with gay parents, and I’ve always known I like girls, so I just assumed I was a lesbian, you know?”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
It’s apparently an acronym for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, with the + covering anybody who feels left out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Supreme Court decision holding that the the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston could not force St. Patrick’s Day parade organizers to include them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
Years later, such movements would also influence the development of the Black Lives Matter, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer movements and the National Domestic Worker Alliance.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
Lesbian groups - protected under "sexual orientation" in the 2010 Act - also say it could affect their ability to have exclusive clubs.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
It was the white Lesbian who lived downtown.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Grace is now 34 and runs a charity, the Uganda Minority Shelters Consortium, which provides safe housing to gay men and lesbians across Uganda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
“Gays and lesbians have a history of being blindsided, and you don’t want to become part of that narrative. Give me a week or two to reach out to the community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Modern lesbians could only hope to be so fortunate.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
Although Britain began decriminalising homosexuality for men in 1967, a ban on gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people serving in the military lasted until 2000.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025
“I have spoken with two whole men—two!—who pretended to be lesbians just so they could talk to me, an actual lesbian.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
