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.
Because male hair loss has been studied far more extensively than hair loss in women, the researchers were only able to investigate a possible causal connection in men.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
In an austere look at the price of lies, Ms. Hüller plays a 17th-century European woman who first poses as a male soldier and then claims the inheritance of a dead man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Based on a first analysis of the painted decoration inside the tomb, we identified its main owner as a male official named Paser.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
All summer, voters, consultants, and pundits have repeatedly attached Obama’s name like a Homeric epithet to a bumper crop of young, talented, and mostly male candidates running across the country.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Marina’s first students were a group of older male officers.
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 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 heartthrobs are increasingly fluid, mirroring a new demographic reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
The two bodies were being brought to the capital Male for identification.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Male frigate birds with bright red balloonlike sacs under their chins cruised the shore.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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
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
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
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
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
Females and males also differ noticeably in appearance.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 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
The males have extra bits that should enhance his visual tracking.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 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.
