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ovulation

Scientific  
/ ō′vyə-lā′shən,ŏv′yə-lā′shən /
  1. The release of an egg cell (ovum) from the ovary in female animals, regulated in mammals by hormones produced by the pituitary gland during the menstrual cycle.


ovulation Cultural  
  1. The periodic release of an ovum from the ovaries (usually from only one ovary). After the ovum is released, it travels into the fallopian tube, and from there is moved to the uterus. Ovulation generally happens approximately two weeks into the menstrual cycle.


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.

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Taylor Swift fans have paid $25 for pieces of trash -- including cigarette butts and an ovulation test kit -- collected near the US pop queen's wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reported that the developer, Flo Health, shared users’ sensitive data, such as ovulation status and period information, with Meta between 2016 and 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025

"You almost feel like you've made it up because you have this really bad low and then everything seems to start getting better again as you're coming towards that ovulation period."

From BBC ● May 23, 2025

As the Washington Post noted, "Emergency contraceptive pills such as Plan B and Ella work by inhibiting or delaying ovulation, thereby preventing sperm from fertilizing the egg."

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2024

Twenty-four hours after the deed, my mother’s body temperature rose another two tenths, confirming ovulation.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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