woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇-mən 

especially Southern

ˈwō- 

or

ˈwə- 

plural women ˈwi-mən 

nonstandard ˈwu̇-

1

a

: an adult female person

b

: a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation)

—usually used in combination

councilwoman

2

: womankind

3

: distinctively feminine nature : womanliness

4

: a woman who is a servant or personal attendant

5

a

chiefly dialectal : wife

b

: mistress

c

: girlfriend sense 2

6

: a woman who is extremely fond of or devoted to something specified

I'm a chocolate woman through and through, but one bite of West's banana pudding cupcake and I was sold.

—Hattie Brown Garrow

woman adjective

womanless

ˈwu̇-mən-ləs 

especially Southern ˈwō-

or ˈwə-

adjective

Synonyms of woman

• lady
• female

Examples of woman in a Sentence

She grew up to become a confident and beautiful woman.

She is a grown woman.

The store sells shoes for both men and women.

Recent Examples on the Web

More women have seats at the tables that Violet, Doralee and Judy could only deliver coffee (or blackmail) to. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

The state of Texas took custody of the children and allowed more than 100 FLDS women to accompany them in custody as a courtesy but later returned them to their families. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Turns out, though, what actually happened is that Nike offered the women about 20 different combinations of a uniform — with tops and bottoms of various lengths. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

This year the fund has paid out approximately about $50,000 to its recipients so far, prioritizing applications from underrepresented communities and from countries where guide roles for women are less common. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English wīfman, from wīf woman, wife + man human being, man

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing woman

• a man/woman/person of substance
• a man/woman/person to be reckoned with
• a man/woman/person to reckon with
• a marked man/woman
• anti-woman
• battered woman syndrome
• cis woman
• cleaning woman
• emancipated woman
• fancy woman
• kept woman
• like a man/woman possessed
• little woman
• make an honest woman of (someone)
• make (someone) an honest woman
• man/woman of few words
• man/woman of his/her word
• one-woman
• other woman
• Renaissance woman
• the little woman
• the other woman
• trans woman
• woman/man of style
• woman of color
• woman of ill repute
• woman of letters
• woman of the street
• woman of the world
• woman's/feminine touch
• woman's rights
• woman suffrage

Rhymes for woman

• businesswoman
• congresswoman
• englishwoman
• gentlewoman
• noblewoman
• policewoman
• washerwoman
• chairwoman
• frenchwoman
• kinswoman
• madwoman
• saleswoman

Kids Definition

woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇m-ən 

plural women ˈwim-ən 

1

: an adult female person

2

: womankind

3

: a woman who is a servant or attendant

Etymology

Old English wīfman "a female person," from wīf "woman, wife" and man "person"