plural girls
1
a(1)
: a female child from birth to adulthood
a seven-year-old girl
(2)
: a person whose gender identity is female
… narrator Taylor Meskimen draws listeners into the emotional life of Zenobia July, a tech-savvy trans girl who's facing a new year at a new middle school.—
Rebecca Honeycutt
Rebecca Honeycutt
b
: daughter
Papa's answer was quiet. "I thought I taught you to read, my girl."—Markus Zusak
Markus Zusak
c
: a young woman
d
sometimes offensive
: a single or married woman of any age
2
: a female romantic partner : girlfriend
3
US, informal
a
: a female friend
I love going to a spa and dinner with my girls.—Karen Clifton
Karen Clifton
b
—used as a friendly way of addressing a woman or girl
Hey girl, I like your taste in Christmas gifts.—Miranda Crace
Miranda CraceGirl, you need to give yourself some credit.—John Van Meter
John Van Meter4
: a woman or girl native to a given place
a local girl
She was a city girl at heart.
5
: a female domesticated animal and especially a pet
She … is still mastering the art of being a good girl, as any 3-month-old puppy is.—Rotorua (New Zealand) Weekender
Rotorua (New Zealand) WeekenderKeeping low-key when leaving and returning is essential. Just a "Bye!" and "Be a good girl!" when you leave is plenty. Your dog will be busy with her goodies dispenser, anyway, and probably won't notice when you leave.—Ed Bailey
Ed BaileyEve is a 10-year-old female kitty who is an independent pretty girl …—Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles
Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles6
dated, offensive
: a female servant or enslaved woman
also
: a female employee
Examples of girl in a Sentence
Is this your little girl?
a group of teenage girls
His parents hope he'll soon find a nice girl, settle down, and get married.
Wait till the girls back home hear about this!
Our boss thinks of herself as just one of the girls.
She went out dancing with the girls.
They just hired a new girl to do the filing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gaines later said that Savangsy was the mother of both girls found with injuries at the Roseville home.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
The Rogers High School girls hockey team in Rogers, Minnesota, feels re-energized by a new addition to their coaching staff this season.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
After revealing the pregnancy to PEOPLE in March, Culpo and McCaffrey welcomed baby girl Colette Annalise McCaffrey on July 13.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
At a girls’ camp in Kerr County, floodwater tore cabins from their foundations and carried them down the Guadalupe River.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Three girl-moms who are professional writers collaborated on an album-by-album recap (including the Taylor’s Version discs), teeming with facts, opinions, gossip, thoughtful discussions and 175 photos.
—Jon Bream, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
That is, if both girls can even be at the same place at the same time, because so often our older one is dancing, and the other one has a game at the same time.
—Sari Hitchins, Parents, 22 Dec. 2025
The wound is the wound made upon the recognition that one is regarded as a worthless human being, and, further, in the case of this particular black girl, upon the recognition that the men, one’s only hope, have also been cut down and cannot save you.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls Athlete of the Week poll.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
The Rogers High School girls hockey team in Rogers, Minnesota, feels re-energized by a new addition to their coaching staff this season.
—Marielle Mohs, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
After revealing the pregnancy to PEOPLE in March, Culpo and McCaffrey welcomed baby girl Colette Annalise McCaffrey on July 13.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
At a girls’ camp in Kerr County, floodwater tore cabins from their foundations and carried them down the Guadalupe River.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Three girl-moms who are professional writers collaborated on an album-by-album recap (including the Taylor’s Version discs), teeming with facts, opinions, gossip, thoughtful discussions and 175 photos.
—Jon Bream, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
That is, if both girls can even be at the same place at the same time, because so often our older one is dancing, and the other one has a game at the same time.
—Sari Hitchins, Parents, 22 Dec. 2025
The wound is the wound made upon the recognition that one is regarded as a worthless human being, and, further, in the case of this particular black girl, upon the recognition that the men, one’s only hope, have also been cut down and cannot save you.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls Athlete of the Week poll.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
girl
noun1
a
: a female child
b
: a young woman
2
offensive
: a female servant
—used especially in the past
3
Etymology
Middle English gurle, girle "a young person of either sex"
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