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.
“Bad shoppers are bad shoppers. Being male has nothing to do with it.”
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
For most of the last century, clubs followed a simple formula: an exclusive address, space for preppy male pastimes and a men’s-only grill room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
He is also the first solo male Welsh artist in 41 years to top the singles chart, after Shakin' Stevens' 1985 timeless festive hit, Merry Christmas Everyone.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
It shows McHenry talking to a male companion and an usher from her seat while fans seated around her can be heard making negative comments about her, with some chanting, “Kick her out!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The male cop sits down in a chair like he’s trying to come down to my level.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
In late July, the company launched “The Male Shopper Project,” a mock training camp starring comedian Hannah Berner and Antoni Porowski, the culinary expert from “Queer Eye.”
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
Male vampires can even procreate with human women: Jesse has two half-vampire sons with his living wife, Phyllis, played by Rose Abdoo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Male ski jumpers were rumoured to be using fillers to increase the surface area of their suits so they could jump further.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Male and female U1s can speak through an artificial intelligence tool programmed by the company to offer soothing words if it detects fatigue or stress, and get to know its user over time.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Male Voice: How old is the baby ma 'am?
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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
Malé, on the other hand, feels like a different world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The addresses were located in neighboring office buildings in Malé, with the Aeroflot office sandwiched between them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Either you belong to the capital — Malé, a micro-Manhattan in the Indian Ocean — or you are out in “the islands,” among the quietest and most remote villages this side of the Arctic tundra.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
Since 2018, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge has connected this archipelago’s hyper-dense capital, Malé, and the international airport — expanded by Chinese companies — one island to the east.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Malé contains 150 houses, all small; it is a place of no trade.
From Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries by William Griffith
“When it came to males, he could be a little, well, aggressive,” Gina Davis, a Pasadena schoolteacher, told The Times in a previous interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
South Korean males are, in most circumstances, required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of active military service before the age of 28.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
He loved the rudimentary males he found embedded in the females of one particular species—precisely the kind of weird transitional form his theory of evolution would depend upon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
She said the males eventually left her and she eventually got up and left the car park.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
A large number of males, some a little older than he, some older than his father, and many in between, worked on a chaha’oh that was much bigger than Nali’s.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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