girlfriend

noun

girl·​friend ˈgər(-ə)l-ˌfrend How to pronounce girlfriend (audio)
1
: a female friend
2
: a frequent or regular female companion in a romantic or sexual relationship

Examples of girlfriend in a Sentence

My girlfriend and I have only been dating for a couple of months. She spends hours talking on the phone with her girlfriends.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The judge cited testimony from another former girlfriend, Jane, who said Combs later assaulted her and coerced her into oral sex with an escort. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically. Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025 Mark Kerr fact checks the movie's depiction of his opioid struggles and his volatile relationship with girlfriend Dawn. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025 Kavan Markwood, 20, was charged with one misdemeanor count of loitering and prowling at nighttime after he was accused of attempting to gain entry into the home of an ex-girlfriend, CBS News reported, citing Brentwood police. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for girlfriend

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of girlfriend was in 1859

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Girlfriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girlfriend. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

girlfriend

noun
girl·​friend ˈgər(-ə)l-ˌfrend How to pronounce girlfriend (audio)
1
: a female friend
2
: a regular female companion in a romantic relationship

More from Merriam-Webster on girlfriend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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