Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

estrous

American  
[es-truhs] / ˈɛs trəs /

adjective

Zoology.
  1. relating to or involving the period of maximum sexual receptivity of a female mammal.


Etymology

Origin of estrous

First recorded in 1895–1900; see origin at oestrous

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:

The rats were still fertile, but they had a longer estrous cycle, lower ovarian weight, and fewer pups than normal rats.

From Science Daily Dec. 22, 2023

But the estrous cycle has little to do with how female mice behave, according to a new study that used machine-learning software to track the second-to-second behavior of animals exploring an open space.

From New York Times Mar. 7, 2023

There are, however, male dogs that show a lifelong indifference to estrous females and never have heterosexual sex.

From Slate Feb. 1, 2013

At the sanctuary, they presented sixteen adult female koalas while they were in estrous with auditory playback of bellows recorded from five different males.

From Scientific American Dec. 6, 2012

The result fits with previous studies which found that mice with mutations in genes that regulate their circadian rhythms, the body's timekeeper, have irregular estrous cycles and more pregnancy failures.

From Science Magazine May 23, 2012

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training