1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of France, its people, or their language
2
: of or relating to the overseas descendants of the French people
Frenchness
noun
1
plural in construction
: the French people
2
: a Romance language that developed out of the Vulgar Latin spoken in northern and central Transalpine Gaul and that became the literary and official language of France
3
: strong language
pardon my French
frenched; frenching; frenches
often capitalized
1
: to trim the meat from the end of the bone of (something, such as a chop)
2
: to cut (green beans) in thin lengthwise strips before cooking
Examples of French in a Sentence
Noun
the customs of the French
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
And Canada will have a suite of French language channels as part of its offering.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Safran Aircraft Engines, a French manufacturer, sends engines for Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to a repair plant outside of Casablanca every six to eight years and then sends them back to airlines from countries including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
—Sam Metz, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
When Spanish guerrillas attacked a French column in Spain’s Sil Valley in 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, the French commanding officer, General Louis-Henri Loison, ordered his soldiers to torch the countryside.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
In 1804, after a twelve-year revolution against French colonial rule, Haiti won its independence, which the United States and several European powers failed to recognize for decades.
—Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
By Anna Gordon April 23, 2024 8:47 AM EDT
Five migrants including a child have died while attempting to cross the English channel, French authorities said on Tuesday.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The abductors demanded freedom for Shi'ite Muslims jailed in Kuwait for bomb attacks against the U.S. and French embassies there.
—Alistair Bell, The Enquirer, 22 Apr. 2024
Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Emma Star Jensen Mini Almond and Grape Cakes
Inspired by French financiers, these small cakes are dense with the warm flavors of almond, orange zest, and butter.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
That year’s jury was led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre – and sometime over the course of the festival the two men hit it off.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
And Canada will have a suite of French language channels as part of its offering.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Safran Aircraft Engines, a French manufacturer, sends engines for Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to a repair plant outside of Casablanca every six to eight years and then sends them back to airlines from countries including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
—Sam Metz, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
When Spanish guerrillas attacked a French column in Spain’s Sil Valley in 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, the French commanding officer, General Louis-Henri Loison, ordered his soldiers to torch the countryside.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
In 1804, after a twelve-year revolution against French colonial rule, Haiti won its independence, which the United States and several European powers failed to recognize for decades.
—Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
By Anna Gordon April 23, 2024 8:47 AM EDT
Five migrants including a child have died while attempting to cross the English channel, French authorities said on Tuesday.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The abductors demanded freedom for Shi'ite Muslims jailed in Kuwait for bomb attacks against the U.S. and French embassies there.
—Alistair Bell, The Enquirer, 22 Apr. 2024
Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Emma Star Jensen Mini Almond and Grape Cakes
Inspired by French financiers, these small cakes are dense with the warm flavors of almond, orange zest, and butter.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'French.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near French
Cite this Entry
“French.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
French
1 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to France, its people, or their language
French
2 of 2 noun1
: the Romance language of the French
2
French plural
: the people of France
Medical Definition
French
noun
plural French
: a unit of measure equal to one-third millimeter used in measuring the outside diameter of a tubular instrument (as a catheter or sound) inserted into a bodily cavity
the catheter shaft size is three French—Medical Industry Today
—abbreviation F
Medical Industry TodayBiographical Definition
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