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Definition of hen
1a : a female chicken especially over a year old; broadly : a female birdb : the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2 : woman; especially : a fussy middle-aged woman
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Recent Examples of hen from the Web
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The DNR has advocated continued efforts to control mallard harvest (one hen daily bag limit, for example) and support for grassland nesting habitat conservation are important to the future of Wisconsin's local mallard population.
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A spruce hen aggressively defended her chicks from competitors.
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How Zach Woods, an expert improviser with a mother-hen instinct and a knack for backstory, created the most consistently surprising character on the HBO comedy.
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This Southbound Gardens workshop covers coops and runs, egg production, buying adult birds, egg-eaters and broody hens.
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After the chicks hatch, they are shipped from Burley to commercial egg operations to be raised as laying hens.
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Not merely because of Nintendo's overnight dark horse, or its scarce as hen's teeth NES Classic.
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Guess the officers should have done a better job of guarding the hen house, err, make that SUV.
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Wahl, also a Carbonell winner with great range, makes Tracy a sort of mother hen, cheerleader and trusted guide into Casey’s strange new world.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hen'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of hen
Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant
HEN Defined for English Language Learners
hen
playDefinition of hen for English Language Learners
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: an adult female chicken
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: a female bird of any kind
HEN Defined for Kids
Learn More about hen
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See words that rhyme with hen Spanish Central: Translation of hen Nglish: Translation of hen for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hen for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hen
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