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.
In his deposition, the male agent explained that this was how Customs and Border Patrol agents operated during the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The two male officers, aged 43 and 41, were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The antecedent of the opinion’s only masculine pronoun is a hypothetical “biological male who identifies as male,” and the hypothetical counterpart who “identifies as female” gets no pronoun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But there’s another reason successors like Graham often adopt their male predecessors’ stances: political expedience.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
From our much more broadminded twenty-first-century North American viewpoint, it’s important to remember that identifying yourself as male or female doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your sexual orientation.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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 mice with increased TTP levels showed significantly lower frailty scores than untreated mice.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
The two bodies were being brought to the capital Male for identification.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Male teachers whose faces were unfamiliar to Ben helped Red up from the cement.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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 Besant, Annie Wood
The Maldives hotel will be located about 25 minutes by speedboat from the capital Malé and feature 80 ultraluxury beachside and over-water villas, the Trump Organization said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
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
Soon after his victory, observers noted that the Chinese ambassador in Malé was quick to congratulate Mr Muizzu.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2023
According to shipping tracking data, two pleasure vessels owned by aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and iron and steel mogul Alexander Abramov entered the waters near Malé, the capital of the Maldives, on Wednesday.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022
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 Griffith, William
"If there's a lot of light pollution around, the males can't see the females and come in and mate with them," Wadsworth says.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Kobe Animal Kingdom put the four males and one female, all born in May at the facility, on public viewing last week.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Of the casualties, 302 - the most of any age and sex category - were males aged 10-19.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The audience Kalshi is attracting is different from its typical trader base, which skews heavily toward males.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
In fact, the big males sometimes go out looking for such females and try to take them back into their own territory.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
