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  • cis
    cis
    adjective
    cisgender or cissexual.
  • cis-
    cis-
    a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin meaning “on the near side of; on this side of” (cisalpine ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (cisatlantic ).
  • C.I.S.
    C.I.S.
    abbreviation
    Commonwealth of Independent States.
  • CIS
    CIS
    abbreviation
    Commonwealth of Independent States
SEE ALSO:
Gender & Sexuality dictionary results for cis.
Search instead for c-s-.

cis

1 American  
[sis] / sɪs /

adjective

  1. cisgender or cissexual.

    He may not be macho, but he's definitely a cis male.


noun

  1. a person who is cisgender or cissexual.

cis- 2 American  
  1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin meaning “on the near side of; on this side of” (cisalpine ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (cisatlantic ).

  2. Chemistry. a specialization of this denoting a geometric isomer having a pair of identical atoms or groups attached on the same side of two atoms linked by a double bond.

  3. a prefix meaning “on the same side of,” referring to the alignment of one’s gender identity with one’s sex assigned at birth (cisgender; cissexual ).


C.I.S. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Commonwealth of Independent States.


cis- 1 British  

prefix

  1. on this or the near side of

    cisalpine

  2. (often in italics) indicating that two groups of atoms in an unsaturated compound lie on the same side of a double bond Compare trans-

    cis-butadiene

"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

CIS 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Commonwealth of Independent States

"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

Sensitive Note

See trans, gender 1.

Usage

What does cis mean? Cis is short for cissexual or, more commonly, cisgender, which refers to someone's gender identity that corresponds to their sex as assigned at birth. Cisgender is the opposite of transgender.

Etymology

Origin of cis1

By shortening

Origin of cis-2

From Latin cis (adverb and preposition) “on this side, on this side of, within”

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:

“It treats transgender women differently than cis women.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 13, 2026

I am entirely aware that my ability to be fully myself on a dating app is a luxury afforded to me by my status as a cis, straight, thin, white woman in New York City.

From Slate Jan. 7, 2026

"This has even resulted in cis women being challenged for going into a female toilet because they have a short haircut," the statement added.

From BBC May 14, 2025

Trans, nonbinary, queer, gay, cis and straight performers all take the stage with the same goal: to make space to celebrate country music for those who aren’t usually embraced by its stubbornly conservative circles.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 9, 2025

“And I dunno. Being attracted to someone not cis makes me think I could be attracted to someone nonbinary. Which is why I’m not sure ‘bisexual’ is the right word, at least for me.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

During this hydrogenation process, double bonds in the cis- conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans- conformation; unfortunately, trans fats have been shown to contribute to heart disease.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

Molecules must have a single bond to be cis- trans isomers.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

During this hydrogenation process, double bonds of the cis- conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans- conformation.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

Collectively, our work provides insights into the complex cis- and trans-regulation of A-to-I editing.

From Nature Oct. 10, 2017

Single, highly-favoured individuals, not only in England but in other countries cis- and trans-Atlantic, enjoy incomes equal to more than half the amount of Elizabeth's annual budget.

From History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1585e by Motley, John Lothrop

Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, warns that the clash may "create a precedent for uncontrolled development of conflicts within the C.I.S."

From Time Magazine Archive

Clinton is already on record as favoring a sizable C.I.S. aid program, so his upcoming remarks will represent an elaboration rather than an expedient first-time treatment of the issue.

From Time Magazine Archive

"One standard of C.I.S. conduct should be a stand-down on intelligence gathering," argues Paul Joyal, a former U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

Meanwhile, C.I.S. leaders elected the Russian President to another year as head of the alliance.

From Time Magazine Archive

Shaposhnikov's fears may be exaggerated, but the utter failure of the C.I.S. to mediate even a temporary cease-fire in Karabakh suggests that the Commonwealth may go the way of its Soviet predecessor.

From Time Magazine Archive

"We can't say that GLP-1s are actually causing these symptoms," says Neil Sehgal, the study's first author and a doctoral student in CIS advised by Guntuku and Ungar.

From Science Daily May 24, 2026

Risks, however, include debates on the durability of the company’s CIS growth and how it can remain competitive against hyperscalers.

From Barron's May 13, 2026

Some companies import European cheese to Belarus or other CIS countries, where the label is swapped so that it can be sold legally in Russian shops.

From BBC Nov. 10, 2024

“We are thrilled by the possibilities of this gift and what it means for the work of CIS in Washington state!”

From Seattle Times Aug. 14, 2023

The command rs;s;CIS Access from Japan;62928 displays all messages with the text "CIS Access from Japan" in their subject titles starting with message number 62928.

From The Online World by De Presno, Odd

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