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
If 2026 is 2016 all over again, the spontaneous girl who’s been dormant in me for a decade couldn’t be more thrilled.
—Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 24 Jan. 2026
Appearing in the meta pop girl mockumentary The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri and also starring Charli xcx (one of the Swedish actor’s favorite musicians), Skarsgård plays the haughty, just-about-doesn’t-get-it director.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026
Wilde delivers a pure-camp performance here, trying to one-up Miranda Priestly with her imperious workplace attitude, cover-girl eyeliner and droll line deliveries.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In Nepal, married girls are 10 times more likely to be out of school than their unmarried peers, and more than a quarter of women with no education were married before the age of 15 compared to only 2 percent of women with higher education.
—Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Having fled with her whole family from the devastation of the Syrian Civil War — a missile had destroyed their home in Aleppo — the young girl was trying to earn money for an attempt to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece and then, hopefully, to a new life in Germany.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Soccer district winners included Seminole, Mount Dora and TFA boys plus Edgewater, East Ridge and West Orange girls.
—Johnny Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
These sweet girls love to play, especially with their mouse toys.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Charlize finished second overall in pole bending, while Savannah Jass placed fifth in junior girls’ goat tying, seventh in barrel racing and eighth in pole bending.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 24 Jan. 2026
Appearing in the meta pop girl mockumentary The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri and also starring Charli xcx (one of the Swedish actor’s favorite musicians), Skarsgård plays the haughty, just-about-doesn’t-get-it director.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026
Wilde delivers a pure-camp performance here, trying to one-up Miranda Priestly with her imperious workplace attitude, cover-girl eyeliner and droll line deliveries.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In Nepal, married girls are 10 times more likely to be out of school than their unmarried peers, and more than a quarter of women with no education were married before the age of 15 compared to only 2 percent of women with higher education.
—Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Having fled with her whole family from the devastation of the Syrian Civil War — a missile had destroyed their home in Aleppo — the young girl was trying to earn money for an attempt to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece and then, hopefully, to a new life in Germany.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Soccer district winners included Seminole, Mount Dora and TFA boys plus Edgewater, East Ridge and West Orange girls.
—Johnny Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
These sweet girls love to play, especially with their mouse toys.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Charlize finished second overall in pole bending, while Savannah Jass placed fifth in junior girls’ goat tying, seventh in barrel racing and eighth in pole bending.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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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