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
The theme of forbidden gay and lesbian love runs throughout.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
And Ellis, who says things like lesbian luncheon.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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
Supreme Court decision holding that the the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston could not force St. Patrick’s Day parade organizers to include them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
Years later, such movements would also influence the development of the Black Lives Matter, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer movements and the National Domestic Worker Alliance.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 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
It was the white Lesbian who lived downtown.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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
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
With those comments, Rowling claims, Sturgeon "demonised and stigmatised" survivors of sexual trauma, lesbians, women with disabilities and "everyone concerned about safety, privacy, fairness and dignity for girls".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2025
My therapist even pointed out that I had been seeking a community of more experienced poly lesbians, and in less than a month, they had found me and welcomed me with open arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025
After my third reading of The Well of Loneliness I became a bleeding heart for the downtrodden misunderstood lesbians.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
