daughter
Americannoun
-
a female child or person in relation to her parents.
-
any female descendant.
-
a person related as if by the ties binding daughter to parent.
daughter of the church.
-
anything personified as female and considered with respect to its origin.
The United States is the daughter of the 13 colonies.
-
Chemistry, Physics. an isotope formed by radioactive decay of another isotope.
adjective
noun
-
a female offspring; a girl or woman in relation to her parents
-
a female descendant
-
a female from a certain country, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment, etc
a daughter of the church
-
archaic (often capital) a form of address for a girl or woman
-
biology denoting a cell or unicellular organism produced by the division of one of its own kind
-
physics (of a nuclide) formed from another nuclide by radioactive decay
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of daughter
before 950; Middle English doughter, Old English dohtor; cognate with German Tochter, Greek thygátēr, Sanskrit duhitā
Explanation
A daughter is a female offspring, and while it is usually referring to the female child's relationship to her parents, it might be used to suggest any similar relationship, such as the organization “Daughters of the American Revolution.” The English word daughter appeared before the Tenth Century as the Old English dohtor and later the Middle English doughter. Any connected group of women might be referred to as "daughters," For example, the "daughters of Zion" of the Bible and the "Daughters of Elysium" in Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" closing to his Ninth Symphony. If people say you are your mother's daughter, aside from pointing out the obvious they are saying the two of you have a lot in common.
Vocabulary lists containing daughter
List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Spelling Practice, Unit 7
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Spelling Practice 2, Unit 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Liu Xiaoli, who faces eviction from her subdivided flat, works two part-time jobs as a cook and cleaner to make ends meet after her divorce, and supports her daughter and granddaughter in mainland China.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
While teams of officers scour the park, Karen discovers her daughter has taken over £200 in cash from home, prompting Sgt Kelly to widen the search.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Really, at the end of the day, I’ll look at my partner and I’ll look at my daughter and be like, “This is absolutely all I need.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
The OB-GYN team treating her had delivered her daughter, and some of them lived blocks from her parents.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
You could label it however you wanted to, but if the daughter of the first ever female commander in chief didn’t make it through, I would be a big fat failure.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
