having or relating to a gender identity that corresponds to a complex, variable set of social and cultural roles, traits, and behaviors assigned to people of the sex that typically produces sperm cells.
Biology. of, relating to, or being an animal or human of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces sperm cells during reproduction.
Botany. designating or relating to a plant or its reproductive structure producing or containing microspores.
Botany. (of seed plants) staminate.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a male person; masculine.
a male voice.
comprising male people.
a male choir.
Machinery. made to fit into a corresponding open or recessed part.
a male plug.
a male person.
Biology. an animal, plant, or plant structure that normally produces sperm cells as part of the process of reproduction.
of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
of, relating to, or characteristic of a man; masculine
for or composed of men or boys
a male choir
(of gametes) capable of fertilizing an egg cell in sexual reproduction
(of reproductive organs, such as a testis or stamen) capable of producing male gametes
(of flowers) bearing stamens but lacking a functional pistil
electronics mechanical engineering having a projecting part or parts that fit into a female counterpart
a male plug
In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is smaller and more motile than the other corresponding gamete of the same species (the female gamete). The sperm cells of higher animals and plants are male gametes.
Possessing or being a structure that produces only male gametes. The testicles of humans are male reproductive organs. Male flowers possess only stamens and no carpels.
See man. Male, masculine, virile are adjectives that describe men and boys or attributes and conduct culturally ascribed to them. Male, which is applied to plants and animals as well as to human beings, is often used as a biological or physiological descriptor, classifying individuals on the basis of their potential or actual ability to inseminate in bisexual reproduction. It contrasts with female in all such uses: his oldest male relative; the male parts of the flower. Masculine refers essentially to qualities, characteristics, or behaviors deemed by a culture or society to be especially appropriate to or ideally associated with men and boys. In American and Western European culture, these have traditionally included features such as strength, forthrightness, and courage: a firm, masculine handshake; a masculine impatience at indecision. Virile implies a vigor and muscularity associated with mature manhood and often carries a suggestion of sexual or procreative potency: his virile good looks; a swaggering, virile walk. See also manly.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French ma(s)le, from Latin masculus; see masculine
From Latin; see origin at mal-
A male is a guy, a dude, a boy, or a man. A male animal is not female. Male life forms are the opposite of females in many ways. The biggest way is that males can’t have babies. Male is a manly word. Rarr! You won’t find women on an all-male rugby team. If the doctor says, “It’s a boy,” you’ve got yourself a male baby. Males exist in plants and other animals — the male is the gamete-producing sex that fertilizes the female. Things can be male, too, like adapters that have male parts that fit into female parts. Most male animals are bigger than females, but not all. The biggest blue whales are female.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But from the start, the Linigers largely relied on an underused talent pool—women—in part because established male agents were skeptical and dismissive of their model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Finland has universal male conscription, and some women also volunteer to serve.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Nonetheless, the data also showed that Latinas without a college education are also more progressive than their male counterparts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Many of those who were laid off left tech entirely to pursue careers viewed as safer,” said the worker, a male in his 30s.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
The wolf pack was led by a large male.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Male prisons have fewer than 1,800 spaces available in England and Wales, the lowest level since March.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Male heartthrobs are increasingly fluid, mirroring a new demographic reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
"Male humpback whales are remarkable singers" that "produce long, complex songs," Castro explained.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Male and female mice that received strain CBA3656 showed more than double the amount of nanoplastics in their feces compared with mice that did not receive the probiotic.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
Male and female users typically reported that they are about an inch taller than the national average.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
There are several forms of hair loss, the most common being androgenetic alopecia, or male- or female-pattern hair loss.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
Most of the relevant statues were written 75 years ago for a male-, union- and manufacturing-dominated workforce that no longer exists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
The dsx primary RNA thus produces female-specific mRNA and male- specific mRNA, both of which encode functional Dsx proteins, DsxF and DsxM, respectively.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Dr James Turner, from the Francis Crick Institute in London, has identified 25,000 research papers published in the past five years, around 25,000 papers that required male- or female-only mice.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2021
The nucleus of the tube-cell has meanwhile passed into the tube, as does also the generative nucleus which divides to form two male- or sperm-cells.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various
A commercial flight operated by Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, lands each morning at the airport in Malé, where teams of local middlemen working with Russia-linked logistics companies help get the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
A new air waybill is issued for the flight between Malé and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
As Maldivians give up on island life, the government feels compelled to keep building up Malé, the country’s one real city.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
But Malé is already pressed up hard against the limits of human habitation.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
The village of Tsebainago is opposite to Malé, and appears nearly of the same size.
From Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries by William Griffith
It said there was on average a 10% to 12% performance gap between males and females in running distances up to the marathon.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
In running distances up to the marathon, there is on average a 10-12% performance gap between males and females.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
However, males and females living within the same bay depended on many of the same local food sources.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
The altercation was between the Oxnard boy and two other unidentified males.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
By now I could tell the males and females apart, and this was a female.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
