hen

noun

ˈhen 

1

a

: a female chicken especially over a year old

broadly : a female bird

b

: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)

2

: woman

especially : a fussy middle-aged woman

Examples of hen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of the human drama is relegated to the distant background, as Pálfi mines the humor from his movie’s conceit by using the restaurant as a lens onto the hen’s predicament rather than the other way around. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026

What began with a 5-acre parcel, 11 laying hens and 30 meat birds has since grown into an 18-acre farm that spans their home property and multiple land leases. — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

And when there are fewer hens, there are fewer eggs, which leads to shortages and price hikes. — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 20 Oct. 2026

Clotilde Charpentier, who could play music no better than a hen could float and paddle in the Patriarch’s Ponds, would walk behind John’s coffin, with a heavy black veil to shield herself from the January wind and people’s appraising looks. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing hen

• Cornish game hen
• Cornish hen
• game hen
• hazel hen
• heath hen
• hen and chickens
• hen night
• hen of the wood
• hen of the woods
• hen party
• hen track
• marsh hen
• mother hen
• Rock Cornish game hen
• Rock Cornish hen
• tappit hen
• water hen

Rhymes for hen

• ben
• bren
• chen
• den
• en
• gen
• glen
• jen
• ken
• men
• pen
• sten

Kids Definition

hen

noun

ˈhen 

1

: a female chicken especially over a year old

2

: a female of any bird