vagina
Americannoun
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Anatomy, Zoology.
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the passage leading from the uterus to the vulva in certain female mammals.
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a sheathlike part or organ.
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Botany. the sheath formed by the basal part of certain leaves where they embrace the stem.
noun
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the moist canal in most female mammals, including humans, that extends from the cervix of the uterus to an external opening between the labia minora
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anatomy biology any sheath or sheathlike structure, such as a leaf base that encloses a stem
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vagina
1675–85; < New Latin; Latin vāgīna sheath
Compare meaning
How does vagina compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The vagina is a canal-like area in women stretching from the uterus to the labia. Vaginas are pretty important, since they're crucial for birth and sex. A vagina is an opening in a woman's body that goes back to her uterus. In sex, the man's penis goes into the vagina. In birth, the baby comes out of the vagina. That makes vaginas pretty crucial to life. Without a vagina, there'd be no babies in the womb, and even if there were, they'd have no way to get out of the womb and be born.
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:
To insert an IUD, a clinician opens the vagina using a speculum and grips the cervix with a type of forceps, which can cause a sudden, sharp pain.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 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
PIEZO2, in contrast, is located in sensory nerves in the cervix and vagina.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2026
The researchers say their findings do not justify the practice of vaginal seeding, where some new parents smear babies with a swab taken from the vagina.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
These may arise from irritation by uric acid of the mouth of the bladder in boys, or of the vagina and bladder in girls.
From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.
UK chain Lloyd's Pharmacy says it's "normal for vaginas and vaginal fluids to have a slight smell, which will vary according to hormones, activity, hygiene and diet".
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2023
Beyond being an important technological advance, she says, the interest of someone like Ingber—whom she calls the “godfather” of organ chip technology—may help to normalize research on vaginas.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 15, 2022
“Historically, the anatomy and physiology of bodies with vaginas have been neglected,” the journal’s Sept. 25 issue cover proclaimed in blue ink, centering the text on a blank white background.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 1, 2021
Some women lack a hymen, a membrane that partly covers vaginas and can also change as a girl matures due to hormonal change.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2019
Any gay man who has ever had the subject of vaginas come up in conversation knows that these themes are common in how we discuss the female body amongst ourselves—coded as “weird” and “gross.”
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2016
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.
