hen

noun

ˈhen 

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

Significantly more egg-laying hens have been culled than chickens raised for meat. —Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025

In April in Portugal, Megan Parry had a hen do, which is a pre-wedding celebration similar to a bachelorette party and is especially popular in the United Kingdom and Australia. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 16 Apr. 2025

The typical egg farm in Canada has about 25,000 laying hens, whereas many farms in the U.S. have well over a million. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025

These larvae are then transformed into high-protein meal for hens, which produce eggs that are donated to local food banks, closing the loop on food waste. —Claire Poole, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

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

Phrases Containing hen

• Cornish game hen
• Cornish hen
• game hen
• hazel hen
• heath hen
• hen and chickens
• hen night
• hen of the wood
• hen of the woods
• hen party
• hen track
• marsh hen
• mother hen
• Rock Cornish game hen
• Rock Cornish hen
• tappit hen
• water hen

Rhymes for hen

• ben
• bren
• chen
• den
• en
• gen
• glen
• jen
• ken
• men
• pen
• sten

Kids Definition

hen

noun

ˈhen 

1

: a female chicken especially over a year old

2

: a female of any bird