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

Horrifying video posted by authorities in June showed a small Russian drone target an elderly woman in a wheelchair – an attack that killed three people, including the 87-year-old woman and her son. — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Jacqui Oatley worked for Fox at both the last men’s and women’s World Cups, in 2022 and 2023. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 18 July 2026

The queen of Sparta, Helen (Lupita Nyong’o), was the most beautiful woman in the world. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026

Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton became two of the five qualifiers for a women’s Ladder Match at SummerSlam. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 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
• 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"