penis
Americannoun
noun
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The male reproductive organ of mammals and some reptiles and birds. In mammals, the penis contains the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder and releases sperm during reproduction.
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A similar organ found in the males of some invertebrate animals.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of penis
First recorded in 1685–95, from Latin pēnis “tail, penis”; akin to Greek péos, Sanskrit pásas
Explanation
The penis is the male sexual organ. Boys and men and male animals all have penises. Kids and teens often giggle at the word penis, but it's just a word for a body part like "arm" or "leg." Well, a penis is a little different, since it's the organ males use for sex and urinating. Some men take a lot of pride in their penis, which in slang is most often called a dick. However, if you're talking about a dick with a parent or teacher, or you're writing about one in a paper, penis is the word you want to use.
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.
See Examples For:
Boys have also been given the HPV vaccine since 2019, which helps to protect them against anal, penis, throat and mouth cancers, and reduces the risk of them passing the virus on to girls.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
The Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine protects against types of HPV that can cause cancers of the mouth, throat, vulva, vagina, penis and anus.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2026
She leads nutrition education at the Feed Real Institute, an online certificate program founded in 2015 by Balaram, who also runs a company that sells air-dried dog treats like bull penis and rabbit feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
The prostate is shaped like a doughnut surrounding the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Since my last visit, a nurse had inserted a catheter into his penis, which drew the urine out through a tube and into a bag that sat at the foot of his chair.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
In Sir W. Burrell’s Sussex collections in the British Museum are copies of charters, “ex MSS. penes T. Aste,” with notices of curious seals appended, which I should be glad to be able to inspect.
From Notes and Queries, Number 15, February 9, 1850 by Various
It would, of course, be re-printed here; but our copy, penes nos, is a genuine Caxton.
From The History of Tasmania , Volume II by West, John
This account of the Greene family is stated in a note to have been taken from a fine pedigree on vellum, penes T. Wotton, Gent.
From Notes and Queries, Number 13, January 26, 1850 by Various
Silverwood, mentioned in this ballad, occurs in a medley MS. song, which seems to have been copied from the first edition of the Aberdeen Cantus, penes John G. Dalyell, Esq. advocate.
From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II (of 8) by Various
This Ballad is published, partly from one under this title, in Mrs. Brown's collection, and partly from a MS. of some antiquity, penes Edit.
From English and Scottish Ballads (volume 3 of 8) by Various
Snake penises - hemipenes - have been studied for decades.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2022
“Any kid can have any type of body,” the presentation states, adding that boys can have vulvas and girls can have penises.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
England's drug stores were stocked with bulls' penises, frogs' lungs, and powdered Egyptian mummy, which was evidently used against tuberculosis.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2021
Sometimes I’ll say things like, “Yes dear, some people have clitorises and other people have penises, like Daddy.”
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2018
Gore, reported by Velpeau, has seen an infant of eight and one-half months with two penises and three lower extremities.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)
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.
