lesbian
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lesbian
American
[lez-bee-uhn]
/ ˈlɛz bi ən /
noun
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lesbians
plural
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a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women; a gay woman.
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a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women; a gay woman.
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Lesbian, an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos.
adjective
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of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of her own sex or gender.
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of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of her own sex or gender.
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Lesbian, of or relating to Lesbos.
Lesbian
1
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Lesbos
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the Aeolic dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Lesbos
adjective
-
of or relating to Lesbos
-
of or relating to the poetry of Lesbos, esp that of Sappho
lesbian
2
British
/ ˈlɛzbɪən /
noun
adjective
lesbian
Cultural
Usage
What's the difference between lesbian and Sapphic? See gay ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lesbian
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin Lesbi(us) “Lesbian” (from Greek Lésbios, equivalent to Lésb(os) “Lesbos” ( see Lesbos) + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; lesbian defs. 1, 3 allude to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, whose verse deals largely with her emotional relationships with other women
Explanation
A lesbian is a woman who is attracted to other women. Two married women are in a lesbian relationship. This is a word for women who are homosexual. Though homosexual women are often called gay, it's more common to call them lesbians. Lesbians are sexually attracted to other women. You can also use this word as an adjective. For example, a gay female director is a lesbian film maker. There could also be a book of lesbian fiction. This word comes from the name of the island of Lesbos, whose famous poet Sappho was believed to be a lesbian.
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 the best of their knowledge, they are the only openly lesbian and gay direct descendants of Jefferson and Hemings.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
She was just coming out as a lesbian to her family, and recalls seeing a little girl with her two moms at a protest carrying a sign that read “My moms take me bowling.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Playing on the latter’s name, this was the doing of Magic Mascs, an all-masc lesbian revue, by sapphics for sapphics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
On Capitol Hill, Frank was a vocal supporter of ending the "don't ask, don't tell policy" that kept gay and lesbian US military servicemembers from serving openly.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
I realized I was a lesbian just recently, when my best friend told me that she loved me and I returned her love.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Lesbian and Gay History and Muslim Masculinities, absorbing everything my instructors had to say about “queerness”—until I learned what they actually meant by the term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
Joyce sat down with Kate Kendell, the brilliant executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, based in San Francisco.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Lesbian businesses are great for the queer women’s community, but making them profitable is a different matter.
From Slate ● May 28, 2024
During a primetime special, he showed a video clip of me and my boyfriend kissing on the National Mall, taken during the National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2023
When the Lesbian and her girl friend saw me, they helped me to a bed; I fell across it and passed out.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Such posthumous recognition was also in store for the late portraitist Aguilar, who, between the 1980s and 1990s, pushed the boundaries for Chicana lesbians and other queer communities of color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
In the rhinestone-clad, quick-witted country music queen, many gays and lesbians saw an unexpected but unwavering ally that advocated for their dignity and rights long before it was popular to do so.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Some Gen-Z lesbians have gushed that they are “so feral” over the 24-year-old actor, while others joked that they would hide all evidence of their lesbianism if they met Hudson in real life.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
The Reiners approached screenwriter Dustin Lance Black after he spoke in support of equal rights for gay people and lesbians in his 2009 Academy Award acceptance speech for “Milk.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
“I have spoken with two whole men—two!—who pretended to be lesbians just so they could talk to me, an actual lesbian.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
