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
Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons leaned into the Olympics mood while keeping it hot and fun with a collection influenced by ’80s figure skaters, school girls and a whole lot of vintage Americana.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2026
The core of this CW series is a romance between a human girl, Emery, and an alien boy called Roman who met a decade earlier when the extraterrestrial visitors first crash-landed on Earth and were rounded up and placed in an internment camp.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Hunt’s hopes to repeat as a state champion with a perfect season were ended by Corpus Christi King’s Isabella Arevalos, who handed Hunt an 8-1 defeat in a Class 5A 115-pound division girls semifinal at the UIL State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Berry Center.
—Rick Kretzschmar, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
Birmingham has already won City titles in boys’ and girls’ duals competition.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Minnie is practically invisible to most of the students at North Little Rock High School, which is what makes her friendship with Callie — the most popular girl in her class — so special.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
As well as the visit to At-Turaif, William was taken to a soccer training session for girls, a relatively new phenomenon in a country where women have only been given more freedom in recent years, including the right to drive in 2018, although huge limitations remain.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The world’s a better place when girls do sports.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 14 Feb. 2026
Texas must restore common sense in Texas schools, starting with putting parents in charge of their child’s education and keeping boys out of girls’ sports.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
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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Irene Kim, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2026
The core of this CW series is a romance between a human girl, Emery, and an alien boy called Roman who met a decade earlier when the extraterrestrial visitors first crash-landed on Earth and were rounded up and placed in an internment camp.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Hunt’s hopes to repeat as a state champion with a perfect season were ended by Corpus Christi King’s Isabella Arevalos, who handed Hunt an 8-1 defeat in a Class 5A 115-pound division girls semifinal at the UIL State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Berry Center.
—Rick Kretzschmar, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
Birmingham has already won City titles in boys’ and girls’ duals competition.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Minnie is practically invisible to most of the students at North Little Rock High School, which is what makes her friendship with Callie — the most popular girl in her class — so special.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
As well as the visit to At-Turaif, William was taken to a soccer training session for girls, a relatively new phenomenon in a country where women have only been given more freedom in recent years, including the right to drive in 2018, although huge limitations remain.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The world’s a better place when girls do sports.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 14 Feb. 2026
Texas must restore common sense in Texas schools, starting with putting parents in charge of their child’s education and keeping boys out of girls’ sports.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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