menstruate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- unmenstruating adjective
Etymology
Origin of menstruate
1640–50; v. use of earlier menstruate menstruous, Middle English < Late Latin mēnstruātus, equivalent to mēnstru ( a ) monthly courses ( menstrual ) + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Experts say period blood tests are not an immediate alternative to current cervical screening because only women who menstruate could use them.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
This invasive placenta is, in fact, part of the reason humans menstruate.
From Slate • Sep. 7, 2024
All people who menstruate who live long enough go through menopause.
From Science Magazine • Oct. 25, 2023
The fact that sex hormones fluctuate across the menstrual cycle has held back research on insulin changes in people who menstruate.
From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2023
For a like reason, probably, the Baganda imagine that a woman who does not menstruate exerts a malign influence on gardens and makes them barren71 if she works in them.
From Balder the Beautiful, Volume I. A Study in Magic and Religion: the Golden Bough, Part VII., The Fire-Festivals of Europe and the Doctrine of the External Soul by Frazer, James George, Sir
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.
