Karen

[kuh-ren]

noun, plural Ka·rens, (especially collectively) Ka·ren.

a group of people of eastern and southern Burma (Myanmar).
one of these people.
the language of the Karen, a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan family.

adjective

of or relating to the Karen people or their language.

Karen

or Kar·in

[kar-uh n, kahr-]

noun

a female given name, form of Katherine.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for karen

Contemporary Examples of karen

Karen, a 72-year-old white woman, arrived at the park after the first group had left and without knowing that others would follow.
‘They Let Him Off?’ Scenes from NYC in Disbelief
Jacob Siegel
December 4, 2014
With exquisite timing, religious historian Karen Armstrong steps forth with Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence.
Karen Armstrong’s New Rule: Religion Isn’t Responsible for Violence
Patricia Pearson
October 29, 2014
The shooting Ice Cube was referring to was the accidental killing of Karen Toshima by a stray bullet.
A Brief History of the Phrase 'F*ck the Police'
Rich Goldstein
August 23, 2014
Karen Berger, another regular player at Haviland Hollow Farm said the appeal of polo for her is multifaceted.
Breaking Polo's Grass Ceiling
Keli Goff
August 20, 2014
Check out this fine sampling from the likes of Karen Shirely, Margalit Fox, and the most-talented, Heather Lende.
The Day the Fairytale Died
Marilyn Johnson
July 12, 2014

Historical Examples of karen

They talked on indifferent subjects till Karen said it was her bedtime.
Security
Poul William Anderson
After awhile, Lancaster focused his mind on Karen Marek and kept it there.
Security
Poul William Anderson
We have come far, Karen and I, but not from the way you were running.
In the Border Country
Josephine Daskam Bacon
They are the wildest and most lawless of the so-called Karen tribes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6
Various
To this marriage have been born two children, Karen and Wendell.
Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 1 (of 2)
William Denison Lyman

British Dictionary definitions for karen

Karen

noun

plural -rens or -ren a member of a Thai people of Myanmar
the language of this people, probably related to Thai and belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family

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

Word Origin and History for karen

Karen

Mongoloid people of Burma, 1759, from Burmese ka-reng "wild, dirty, low-caste man" [OED].

Karen

fem. proper name, Danish shortened form of Katherine. Rare before 1928; a top-10 name for girls born in the U.S. 1951-1968.