harem

noun

har·em ˈher-əm

Synonyms of harem next

: a usually secluded house or part of a house allotted to women in some Muslim households

: the wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying a harem

informal : a group of women associated with one man

the pop star and his harem

: a group of females associated with one male

—used of polygamous animals

Researchers who study elk have determined that the males who possess the largest harems of females not only sport the largest racks of antlers, but also the most symmetrical ones.—

Natalie Angier

Did you know?

In a Muslim household, a harem is a part of a house set apart for women and from which nonfamily males are excluded. Harems existed in the pre-Islamic civilizations of the Middle East and in the courts of pre-Islamic Assyria, Persia, and Egypt. The harem was also found in the courts of China and Japan as well as in India and southeast Asia. Large harems for wives and concubines were common in wealthy Arab households into the 20th century; the great harem of the Turkish sultans (15th–20th century) contained several hundred women, guarded by eunuchs. By the later 20th century, the full harem system remained only among conservative elements of Arab society.

Examples of harem in a Sentence

the pop star and his harem

Recent Examples on the Web However, anecdotal reports of burros gnawing the latex paint off wood house trim, sauntering into neighborhoods on trash pickup days to sample the smorgasbord of urban discards, and wandering out into local highways to fight over territory and harems have increased in recent months. —

Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 In some species, the females will stay with their natal group, while in others, both sexes leave to join or form new harems. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 June 2023 When the settlement turned out to be more like a harem — and the harem’s shelter a roofless plywood box — Zahra fled. —

Jennifer Reese, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2022 The team on this study recorded a society of about 400 individuals and breeding between individuals from different harems was common in golden snub-nosed monkeys. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 June 2023 Some odd-nosed monkeys still form harems, but aren’t territorial. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 June 2023 The newborn might lose its harem in such cases. —

From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2022 Striped skunks are polygamous, with some males having a harem of several females. —

René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 27 Oct. 2020 This photograph was taken while the two male Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) were fighting over a harem of 127 females. —

Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2013 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.