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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hen
noun1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird
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