plural girls
1
a(1)
: a female child from birth to adulthood
a seven-year-old girl
(2)
: a person whose gender identity is female
… narrator Taylor Meskimen draws listeners into the emotional life of Zenobia July, a tech-savvy trans girl who's facing a new year at a new middle school.—
Rebecca Honeycutt
Rebecca Honeycutt
b
: daughter
Papa's answer was quiet. "I thought I taught you to read, my girl."—Markus Zusak
Markus Zusak
c
: a young woman
d
sometimes offensive
: a single or married woman of any age
2
: a female romantic partner : girlfriend
3
US, informal
a
: a female friend
I love going to a spa and dinner with my girls.—Karen Clifton
Karen Clifton
b
—used as a friendly way of addressing a woman or girl
Hey girl, I like your taste in Christmas gifts.—Miranda Crace
Miranda CraceGirl, you need to give yourself some credit.—John Van Meter
John Van Meter4
: a woman or girl native to a given place
a local girl
She was a city girl at heart.
5
: a female domesticated animal and especially a pet
She … is still mastering the art of being a good girl, as any 3-month-old puppy is.—Rotorua (New Zealand) Weekender
Rotorua (New Zealand) WeekenderKeeping low-key when leaving and returning is essential. Just a "Bye!" and "Be a good girl!" when you leave is plenty. Your dog will be busy with her goodies dispenser, anyway, and probably won't notice when you leave.—Ed Bailey
Ed BaileyEve is a 10-year-old female kitty who is an independent pretty girl …—Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles
Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles6
dated, offensive
: a female servant or enslaved woman
also
: a female employee
Examples of girl in a Sentence
Is this your little girl?
a group of teenage girls
His parents hope he'll soon find a nice girl, settle down, and get married.
Wait till the girls back home hear about this!
Our boss thinks of herself as just one of the girls.
She went out dancing with the girls.
They just hired a new girl to do the filing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kloer, posing as a teenage girl, chatted with a bot impersonating NFL star Travis Kelce.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Mearns started dancing at the age of 3, after her mother decided the little girl with a whole lot of energy needed an outlet to express herself.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
The nine-member girl group made history as the first female K-pop act to headline at Lollapalooza — or Twicepalooza, as their fans dubbed the event — this summer in Chicago.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2025
Two other girls were idling in a car parked out front, waiting for her, playing music.
—Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025
The Ole Miss product has recently been linked to Marissa Ayers – a ring girl and model, who was at the Giants’ game against the New England Patriots last week.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Then, four years ago, when Monroe was pregnant with twin girls, something started to feel off.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
The drama revolves around a young woman who, falsely accused and forced to flee, adopts someone else’s identity to protect a little girl who has no one else.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2025
For the JSerra girls basketball team, just reaching the championship game of the Troy Classic was a major accomplishment, Lions coach Rachael Ziemann said.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Mearns started dancing at the age of 3, after her mother decided the little girl with a whole lot of energy needed an outlet to express herself.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
The nine-member girl group made history as the first female K-pop act to headline at Lollapalooza — or Twicepalooza, as their fans dubbed the event — this summer in Chicago.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2025
Two other girls were idling in a car parked out front, waiting for her, playing music.
—Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025
The Ole Miss product has recently been linked to Marissa Ayers – a ring girl and model, who was at the Giants’ game against the New England Patriots last week.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Then, four years ago, when Monroe was pregnant with twin girls, something started to feel off.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 8 Dec. 2025
The drama revolves around a young woman who, falsely accused and forced to flee, adopts someone else’s identity to protect a little girl who has no one else.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2025
For the JSerra girls basketball team, just reaching the championship game of the Troy Classic was a major accomplishment, Lions coach Rachael Ziemann said.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
girl
noun1
a
: a female child
b
: a young woman
2
offensive
: a female servant
—used especially in the past
3
Etymology
Middle English gurle, girle "a young person of either sex"
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