lesbian
lesbian
American
[lez-bee-uhn]
/ ˈlɛz bi ən /
noun
-
lesbians
plural
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-
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:
Between 2019 and 2024, the number of over-50s identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual in the UK increased by around a third - from roughly 340,000 to almost 460,000.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
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
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
Knowing someone — or of someone — who is gay or lesbian has long tended to dispel falsehoods and quell fears that might exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
They were married by a lesbian justice of the peace while their friends played a guitar-feedback-heavy version of the “Wedding March.”
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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
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
He told the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association World Conference in Cape Town last year: "It is important that we stop to look at religion as the enemy."
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2025
“That was so unexpected and extraordinary and impressive,” he said last week, in a phone call from Texas, where he works as legal director of the San Francisco–based National Center for Lesbian Rights.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2024
It was the white Lesbian who lived downtown.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Catch One is a generalist music venue, but was founded as Los Angeles’ first nightclub for Black lesbians.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Some Gen-Z lesbians have gushed that they are “so feral” over the 24-year-old actor, while others joked that they would hide all evidence of their lesbianism if they met Hudson in real life.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
Reformatories were institutions where girls and young women who refused to conform to the Franco regime's Catholic values were detained - single mothers, girls with boyfriends, lesbians.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
Many gays and lesbians say gender identity strips same-sex attraction of its meaning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
A number of these women are lesbians, newly declared or changing over.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
