F-word
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of F-word
First recorded in 1955–60
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:
O’Rourke told a voter who asked about his language: “Great point, and I don’t intend to use the F-word going forward. Point taken, and very strongly made. ... We’re going to keep it clean.”
From Fox News ● Mar. 17, 2019
When asked if she was a feminist she did not use the F-word and stressed her love for men – as if pre-empting an attack.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2016
The F-word seldom appears in Shirley Jackson, although Franklin makes frequent reference to Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, a book that does capture some of the confusion and dissatisfaction of Jackson’s life and work.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2016
If it remains to be seen whether self-proclaimed feminists like Beyoncé and John Legend can resurrect the F-word, let alone make it safe for men, Kimmel’s not sure it matters.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2015
In 1934, in the journal “American Speech,” the scholar Allen Walker Read published “An Obscenity Symbol,” still the most important article written about the F-word.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2014
Hole created something that’s more than a nostalgic gem of a self-aware album: it’s a manifesto for the gutsy, the screwed up and the savagely feminist, even if “feminist” isn’t her favorite f-word.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024
At other times, “feminism” — considered an f-word by many for generations — was used proudly.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2022
Jost added: "Insiders are also saying that, during meetings, President Biden repeatedly uses the f-word in conversation. More concerning, the f-word he keeps using is ‘forget.’"
From Fox News ● Oct. 24, 2021
Voters here tend to be relatively reserved in their political discourse by modern standards, with “flubbed” being a typical f-word.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2012
They may have used bad language, but not as casually as suggested, and the f-word was certainly not in common use among women of that generation at that time.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 13, 2010
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.