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.
Inside, over the course of my three days at the convention, I met no bears within the predominantly male crowd.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
The real-estate business was almost exclusively male when Remax was founded.
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
“Evidence shows that the business, marketed to male customers, had a high volume of men entering the establishment over a short period of time each day,” the D.A.’s office said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
She spent the first part of the war training male pilots—out of eighteen instructors, she was the only woman.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Male sacrificial victims were concentrated near the East Gate, while female sacrificial remains were found in elite cemeteries including Huangchengtai and Hanjiagedan.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 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
The two bodies were being brought to the capital Male for identification.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Male or female, it depended how you looked at it.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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
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
While award shows like the Oscars, Emmys and Tonys have stuck with the traditional male- and female-designated categories, a growing number of other ceremonies have shifted to gender-neutral awards.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021
Scourged | | in Matthew; but | Passover. and mocked. | | one male- | Scourged by Pi- Led to cruci- | | factor repents. | late before con- fixion.
From Autobiographical Sketches by Annie Wood Besant
Some of the products that flow through Malé to Moscow are designated under sanctions as dual-use, meaning they could be used for military or civilian purposes, such as nourishing the country’s sanctioned airline industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The goods were first sent from Düsseldorf, Germany, to Malé on an Emirates flight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
But Malé is already pressed up hard against the limits of human habitation.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
A 20-minute walk across the capital, next to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, an even longer sea bridge will link Malé with islands to the west.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Malé about 6 P.M. Passed en route a few villages, none of any size or importance.
From Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries by William Griffith
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
The lawbreakers were gathered this day on a cliff and a nearby arch, a crowd of around 50 young people — 14- to 20-year-olds, mostly males.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The researchers also tested whether males and females might develop different head shapes because they eat different foods or forage in different ways.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Scientists describe this type of physical difference between males and females as sexual dimorphism.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Obeah always wanted to fight other males and I thought—mistakenly—that all of this was proper behavior for a sled dog.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
