lesbian
noun
lesbian
American
[lez-bee-uhn]
/ ˈlɛz bi ən /
noun
lesbians
plural
-
-
a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women; a gay woman.
-
a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women; a gay woman.
-
-
Lesbian, an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos.
adjective
-
-
of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of her own sex or gender.
-
of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of her own sex or gender.
-
-
Lesbian, of or relating to Lesbos.
Lesbian
1
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Lesbos
-
the Aeolic dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Lesbos
adjective
-
of or relating to Lesbos
-
of or relating to the poetry of Lesbos, esp that of Sappho
lesbian
2
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
adjective
lesbian
Cultural
Usage
What's the difference between lesbian and Sapphic? See gay ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lesbian
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin Lesbi(us) “Lesbian” (from Greek Lésbios, equivalent to Lésb(os) “Lesbos” ( see Lesbos) + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; lesbian defs. 1, 3 allude to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, whose verse deals largely with her emotional relationships with other women
Explanation
A lesbian is a woman who is attracted to other women. Two married women are in a lesbian relationship. This is a word for women who are homosexual. Though homosexual women are often called gay, it's more common to call them lesbians. Lesbians are sexually attracted to other women. You can also use this word as an adjective. For example, a gay female director is a lesbian film maker. There could also be a book of lesbian fiction. This word comes from the name of the island of Lesbos, whose famous poet Sappho was believed to be a lesbian.
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:
Six years ago, the transgender-rights movement won a landmark victory when the high court ruled that the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on sex discrimination in the workplace extends to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Amanda Nunes, the greatest female MMA fighter of all time, is an out lesbian from Brazil.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Playing on the latter’s name, this was the doing of Magic Mascs, an all-masc lesbian and translesbian revue, by sapphics for sapphics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
EU lawmaker Melissa Camara, a lesbian member of the European Parliament group working for LGBTIQ+ rights, told AFP the commission's response was a step in the right direction.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
“I grew up with gay parents, and I’ve always known I like girls, so I just assumed I was a lesbian, you know?”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
It’s apparently an acronym for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, with the + covering anybody who feels left out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Lesbian groups - protected under "sexual orientation" in the 2010 Act - also say it could affect their ability to have exclusive clubs.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
In 1984 he was a keynote speaker at the National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which was held in San Francisco at the same time as the Democratic National Convention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Lesbian businesses are great for the queer women’s community, but making them profitable is a different matter.
From Slate ● May 28, 2024
It was the white Lesbian who lived downtown.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
“Gays and lesbians have a history of being blindsided, and you don’t want to become part of that narrative. Give me a week or two to reach out to the community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
The Reiners approached screenwriter Dustin Lance Black after he spoke in support of equal rights for gay people and lesbians in his 2009 Academy Award acceptance speech for “Milk.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Reformatories were institutions where girls and young women who refused to conform to the Franco regime's Catholic values were detained - single mothers, girls with boyfriends, lesbians.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
Although Britain began decriminalising homosexuality for men in 1967, a ban on gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people serving in the military lasted until 2000.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025
“I have spoken with two whole men—two!—who pretended to be lesbians just so they could talk to me, an actual lesbian.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
