intercourse
Americannoun
-
sexual intercourse, especially coitus.
-
dealings or communication between individuals, groups, countries, etc.
- Synonyms:
- traffic, trade, commerce, sexual relations, sex act, sex, relations, copulation
-
interchange of thoughts, feelings, etc.
noun
-
communication or exchange between individuals; mutual dealings
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intercourse
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English intercurse, from Medieval Latin intercursus “communication, trading,” Latin “a running between, interposition”; see inter-, course
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.
This was the year Japan passed landmark laws to redefine rape from "forcible sexual intercourse" to "non-consensual sexual intercourse" and raised the age of consent from 13 to 16.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
We don’t think about it in those terms, of course, but that was the obvious point for early humans with little knowledge of gestation and a weak understanding of the role of intercourse in procreation.
From Salon • Sep. 1, 2024
From dawn to dusk, observant Muslims the world over will refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024
As he warned, the “logical consequences of … a decision which elevates commercial intercourse … to the same plane as has been previously reserved for the free marketplace of ideas, are far reaching indeed.”
From Slate • Nov. 2, 2023
Arthur said: "After all, Galahad is only a child! He has growing pains, perhaps. I don’t think we ought to judge him unkindly for little faults of social intercourse."
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
