1
a
: a female chicken especially over a year old
broadly : a female bird
b
: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2
: woman
especially : a fussy middle-aged woman

Examples of hen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The price of eggs continued to fall, as the nation's flock of egg-laying hens slowly recovered from a widespread outbreak of avian flu. Scott Horsley, NPR, 11 June 2025 Heath hens were abundant along the United States’ northeastern shoreline in the 1600s. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025 It’s been nearly a month since a major bird flu outbreak affected egg-laying hens, the department said. Vanessa Gera and Kerstin Sopke, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025 Significantly more egg-laying hens have been culled than chickens raised for meat. Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hen

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hen was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

hen

noun
1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird

More from Merriam-Webster on hen

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