girth

noun \ ˈgərth \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: girth in a Sentence

Definition of girth

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

2 a : a measure around a body

a man of more than average girth

the girth of a tree

b : size, dimensions

See girth defined for English-language learners

See girth defined for kids

Examples of girth in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of girth from the Web

Their silence strikes me as much as their height and girth.

— robert earle howells, SFChronicle.com, "Should we hide the locations of Earth’s greatest trees?," 3 July 2018
The unexpected catch was 6 feet 2 inches long, with a 30.5-inch girth.

— michelle gant, Fox News, "Fishermen hoping to catch catfish reel in massive alligator gar, instead," 31 May 2018
About an hour later, he was led from the First Police Precinct in TriBeCa and taken to court on Centre Street to face rape charges, his arms pinned behind him in three sets of handcuffs to accommodate his girth, a law enforcement official said.

— author: benjamin mueller, alan feuer, Anchorage Daily News, "Charged with rape, Weinstein posts $1 million bail and surrenders passport," 25 May 2018
Expect Dillon to provide depth and girth in Oregon's bigger offensive packages this fall.

— andrew nemec, OregonLive.com, "Kano Dillon, South Florida graduate transfer TE, commits to Oregon Ducks," 22 Apr. 2018
The parts could have come from the world’s largest Tinker Toy set, determined strokes that lock into a horizontal truss of similar girth at the 20th floor, then angle back and continue their climb.

— john king, SFChronicle.com, "New nimble, frisky SoMa tower fits neatly into surroundings," 6 July 2018
The game doesn’t require great girth or great height.

— bob ryan, BostonGlobe.com, "You don’t have to love soccer to appreciate the greatness of the World Cup," 29 June 2018
The two men made the most of their girth to imitate the sounds of a water droplet hitting water, a cork being pulled and a UFO.

— bill keveney, USA TODAY, "'America's Got Talent:' The 5 craziest auditions, plus that just-too-weird reject," 19 June 2018
The gar, which was measured 44 inches in girth, was caught near what Naegeli said was a ten-foot alligator.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Texas' own 'Fish Whisperer' catches an 8-foot alligator gar in the Trinity River," 18 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of girth

Middle English, from Old Norse gjǫrth; akin to Old English gyrdan to gird

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

girth Synonyms

Synonyms

circumference;

Related Words

ambit, circuit, compass;

waistline;

equator;

diameter, radius;

perimeter, periphery;

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, hogwash, mast, rut

girth

verb

Definition of girth

girthed; girthing; girths

transitive verb

1 : encircle

2 : to bind or fasten with a band or strap

3 : to measure around the body of something

Examples of girth in a Sentence

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

Origin and Etymology of girth

see ¹girth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

girth Synonyms

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

GIRTH Defined for English Language Learners

girth

noun

Definition of girth for English Language Learners

: the size of someone or something measured around the middle
: a band or strap placed around the body of an animal (such as a horse) to hold something (such as a saddle) on its back