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
Gunmen abducted hundreds of students from two schools 300 miles apart within three days last week, including more than 300 students from a Catholic school and at least 25 from an all-girls school.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025
The junior carded a 1-under-par 70 to tie for seventh at the CIF girls golf state championships at Poppy Hills golf club in Pebble Beach.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
The grandmother of a girl whose body was found underneath a bed on Carnival cruise ship earlier this month said the FBI told the family the teen likely died from asphyxia.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Nov. 2025
Other stories involve a boy searching for an elixir to cure his ailing mother, and a girl searching for her heart’s desire.
—Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025
Other lyrics, like one in which Blow exhorted a girl in brown to stop messin’ around, bore the stamp of the rapper himself.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Both are part of the growing girls’ love, or GL, genre, which has drawn a massive global following.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 24 Nov. 2025
Advertisement ‘Boy friendly’ solutions There are many reasons why boys are disengaging from education, but this one—male status anxiety in the face of direct competition and possible loss to girls—is grossly underestimated.
—Soraya Chemaly, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
After the initial raid, Perfidia jokingly asks if Pat likes Black girls.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 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.
Send us feedback.
Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025
The junior carded a 1-under-par 70 to tie for seventh at the CIF girls golf state championships at Poppy Hills golf club in Pebble Beach.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
The grandmother of a girl whose body was found underneath a bed on Carnival cruise ship earlier this month said the FBI told the family the teen likely died from asphyxia.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Nov. 2025
Other stories involve a boy searching for an elixir to cure his ailing mother, and a girl searching for her heart’s desire.
—Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025
Other lyrics, like one in which Blow exhorted a girl in brown to stop messin’ around, bore the stamp of the rapper himself.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Both are part of the growing girls’ love, or GL, genre, which has drawn a massive global following.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 24 Nov. 2025
Advertisement ‘Boy friendly’ solutions There are many reasons why boys are disengaging from education, but this one—male status anxiety in the face of direct competition and possible loss to girls—is grossly underestimated.
—Soraya Chemaly, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
After the initial raid, Perfidia jokingly asks if Pat likes Black girls.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 26 Nov. 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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