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
Pierre Barin, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
These include the iconic French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and American interior designer Bill Willis.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Despite that history, RN has become the most active force in French crypto legislation, attracting industry advocates who see the party as business-friendly, Le Monde noted.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
In a recent Instagram post, Stewart shared snaps of her large collection of indoor faux bois planters, which is French for false wood, and she’s known to have dozens of the faux wood planters outdoors on her Maine terrace, too.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
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Adjective
Nearly 2,000 French firefighters are battling to contain a fast-moving blaze that has burnt through an area bigger than Paris and killed an elderly woman.
—Pierre Barin, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
These include the iconic French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and American interior designer Bill Willis.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Despite that history, RN has become the most active force in French crypto legislation, attracting industry advocates who see the party as business-friendly, Le Monde noted.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
In a recent Instagram post, Stewart shared snaps of her large collection of indoor faux bois planters, which is French for false wood, and she’s known to have dozens of the faux wood planters outdoors on her Maine terrace, too.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for French
Cite this Entry
“French.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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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