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femme

noun
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\ ˈfem How to pronounce femme (audio) \
variants: or less commonly fem

Definition of femme

1 : woman sense 1a
2 : a lesbian who is notably or stereotypically feminine in appearance and manner

Examples of femme in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The short is a four-chapter compilation of cinematic and sonic set pieces, original poetry and music that reflect on Takenaka’s identity and experiences as an Asian American femme. — Los Angeles Times, "Kyoko Takenaka recorded racist things men said in bars. For many, it hit home," 8 Apr. 2021 On this list of 30 Muppets, only three of them are coded as femme/female. — Rebecca Caplan, Vulture, "Muppets, Ranked," 26 Mar. 2021 Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino teamed up on this stylish version of Miller’s beloved graphic novel about violent men and femme fatales. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, "The 40 Best Movies on Paramount+," 4 Mar. 2021 The iconic actress and drag queen Divine, who rose to the spotlight in the '70s, arguably personifies the radicalness of a fat femme who is intentionally tacky with her beauty aesthetic. — Marie Southard Ospina, refinery29.com, "Here’s Why Fat Babes Are Reclaiming “Tacky” Makeup," 26 Jan. 2021 In 2019, Torres made history with Suits spin-off Pearson as the first Afro-Latinx femme actor to create, star in, and produce her own series. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Gina Torres Was Told She Could Never Sell A Show With A Black Woman Lead. Now She’s 9-1-1: Lone Star’s Newest Hero," 18 Jan. 2021 Season after season, the runway is populated with Dickens heroines and royals, as well as more outré imaginings, like femme fleurs and mystical creatures. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "For Dreamers, 48 Fashion Fantasies From the Vogue Runway Archive," 1 Jan. 2021 It’s a fun, harmless movie — a campy, playful homage to femme fatales. — New York Times, "Louise Linton Has Made a Movie," 9 Jan. 2021 The action landscape could always use more revenge-seeking femme fatales, and Corberó is the perfect choice to bring the malevolent Baroness to life. — Keaton Bell, Vogue, "The 15 Rising Stars Poised to Dominate 2021, From Indie Darlings to Marvel Superheroes," 29 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'femme.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of femme

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for femme

probably from French femme woman, from Old French feme, from Latin femina

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Last Updated

12 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Femme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/femme. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.

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