girth

noun

\ ˈgərth

Definition of girth

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a band or strap that encircles the body of an animal to fasten something (such as a saddle) on its back

2a : a measure around a body a man of more than average girth the girth of a tree

b : size, dimensions

girth

verb

girthed; girthing; girths

Definition of girth (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : encircle

2 : to bind or fasten with a band or strap

3 : to measure around the body of something

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about girth

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Synonyms & Antonyms for girth

Synonyms: Noun

circumference

Synonyms: Verb

band, begird, belt, engird [archaic], engirdle, enwind, gird, girdle, girt, wrap

Antonyms: Verb

ungird, unwrap

Examples of girth in a Sentence

Noun

The tree is about two meters in girth. a person of large girth a girth of about two meters

Verb

you'll need to make sure you girth the saddle tightly or you'll fall off the horse his arms couldn't quite girth the stone column

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The largest tree felled by the storm's force had more than 60 inches in girth, Winters said. — Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "Dallas officials estimate the city's parks lost more than 600 trees in storm," 19 June 2019 Woodland’s strength was absolutely an asset throughout the week—like Koepka, his forearm girth allows him to keep the clubhead square when cutting through dense rough, to name one example. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "2019 U.S. Open Parting Thoughts: Woodland's Gutsy Win, Tiger's Showing and More," 17 June 2019 That would give it a girth of well over 20 million miles. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, "Sky Watch: Let the Big Dipper be your guide for more stargazing," 9 June 2019 To this literal girth there has been added, since the book appeared in March, the metaphorical weight of several prestigious award nominations. — The New York Review of Books, "Daniel Mendelsohn," 18 Apr. 2019 There's hardly anything more loudly and aggressively premium than a nearly $2,000 phone with cutting-edge-if-questionably-useful tech, but its uncommon girth at least gives a new shape to this grade of flagship pocket supercomputer. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Samsung Galaxy Fold Is a Thick Boy, Just Not in the Way You Actually Need," 20 Feb. 2019 China’s girth Despite slowing, China still posted economic growth above 6% last year, easily surpassing the U.S. and Europe. — Theo Francis, WSJ, "How Bad Is the China Slowdown? U.S. Companies Offer Some Answers," 11 Feb. 2019 Those big ships offer big profits and efficiencies, so much so that ports have been dredging channels and deepening docks to accommodate their girth. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Offshore Mega-Terminals Are Coming Because Oil Supertankers Are Too Big for Our Ports," 14 Sep. 2018 Packages that are longer than 96 inches on any side, or whose longest side plus girth—calculated as twice the width plus twice the height—exceeds 130 inches, already incur a surcharge of $80, according to UPS rate guidelines. — Paul Ziobro, WSJ, "UPS Really Doesn’t Want to Ship Your Refrigerator With Your Socks," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'girth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.