lesbian

adjective les·bi·an \ ˈlez-bē-ən \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of lesbian

1 often capitalized : of or relating to Lesbos

[from the reputed homosexual band associated with Sappho of Lesbos]

: of or relating to homosexuality between females

Recent Examples of lesbian from the Web

Nessel would be the first lesbian to head the 500-employee department, which was last won by a Democrat — Jennifer Granholm — 20 years ago.

— david eggert, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan race intensifies for Democrats' attorney general nomination," 31 Mar. 2018
Promotional materials for the album exhorted audiences to take action in securing lesbian rights.

— bonnie j. morris, Smithsonian, "How Should We Archive the Soundtrack to 1970s Feminism?," 30 Mar. 2018
Johnson: Not just the lesbian mafia, but the whole counterculture.

— agatha french, latimes.com, "Chelsey Johnson walks the 'Stray City' streets of Portland, Ore., with Carrie Brownstein," 30 Mar. 2018
Photo: Luciano Belford/ZUMA PRESS In many ways, Ms. Franco, a lesbian single mother, was trying to bridge the city’s divides as a slum leader who also had access to the city’s corridors of power.

— samantha pearson and luciana magalhaes, WSJ, "Killing of Woman Who Gave Voice to Rio’s Poor Jars a Divided Brazil," 25 Mar. 2018
The Kansas agency that oversees adoption and foster care supports legislation that would let organizations refuse placements with families — including gay and lesbian couples —based on religious beliefs.

— jonathan shorman, kansascity, "DCF supports bills letting adoption agencies refuse LGBT couples on religious grounds | The Kansas City Star," 20 Mar. 2018
Act 2, set two years later on the eve of a bar mitzvah, introduces a lesbian couple.

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "Just announced: What Broadway shows head to Charlotte next? Here’s the ’18-19 season | Charlotte Observer," 18 Mar. 2018
Christopher, 39, who identifies as lesbian, said she was tricked into attending a session about 20 years ago that left her depressed and suicidal.

— kristin e. holmes, Philly.com, "Fired seminary president blames more than just her old attitudes toward LGBTQ community," 16 Mar. 2018
People are speculating whether issues such as gay and lesbian rights and Pence's stance on gay-conversion therapy might be discussed at their meeting.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "Mike Pence chided for closed event with gay Irish prime minister," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lesbian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of lesbian

1567

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

lesbian

noun

Definition of lesbian

: a woman who is a homosexual

See lesbian defined for English-language learners

See lesbian defined for kids

Recent Examples of lesbian from the Web

In 2010, a law was overturned, allowing gay men and lesbians to provide permanent, adoptive homes for children.

— monique o. madan, miamiherald, "He fought for gay rights and women's rights. Now he's retiring after 44 years. | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018
Calling all qualified and unqualified lesbians and everyone who wants funded schools, affordable housing & working subways: Join our Campaign Launch Party 3/21 at the Stonewall Inn, 6-9PM.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Cynthia Nixon Invites ‘Unqualified Lesbians’ to Campaign Launch Party at Stonewall Inn," 21 Mar. 2018
Gays and lesbians often face rejection from family members and job discrimination, leading to substance abuse and depression, Harris said.

— julie washington, cleveland.com, "Smoking rates decline, but at slower pace for minorities and poor, CDC says," 8 Mar. 2018
Out of all the pop-culture characters available to her, would Lena Waithe’s Aech (who, both in the Ready Player One book and in reality, is a black lesbian) really choose white male robots and cyborgs as her avatars?

— jason johnson, The Root, "Ready Player One and the Unbearable Whiteness of ’80s Nostalgia," 30 Mar. 2018
A day later, comedian Marie Connor, who is also a lesbian, decided to call out the problematic statement by creating a t-shirt bearing the phrase.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "Comedian Creates “Unqualified Lesbian” T-Shirt After Comments Were Made To Cynthia Nixon," 22 Mar. 2018
Atkins, 55, is a lesbian who grew up in rural Virginia, where her father was a coal miner and her mother a seamstress.

— melody gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle, "Atkins sworn in as 1st woman, 1st openly LGBT person to head state Senate," 21 Mar. 2018
Related Chitra Palekar, whose daughter is a lesbian, shared a similar sentiment.

— NBC News, "Mumbai's 'Rainbow Parents' aim to change hearts and minds in India," 23 Feb. 2018
The offending article published last week by top-selling Malay-language daily, Sinar Harian, included a bullet point list giving tips on how to identify gays or lesbians.

— NBC News, "Malaysian newspaper's how-to-spot-a-gay checklist sparks outrage," 13 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of lesbian

circa 1890

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

LESBIAN Defined for English Language Learners

lesbian

noun

Definition of lesbian for English Language Learners

: a woman who is sexually attracted to other women : a female homosexual

Medical Dictionary

lesbian

adjective les·bi·an \ ˈlez-bē-ən \

medical Definition of lesbian

: of or relating to homosexuality between females

lesbian

noun

medical Definition of lesbian

: a female homosexual

Learn More about lesbian

Spanish Central: Translation of lesbian Nglish: Translation of lesbian for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lesbian for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lesbian

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lesbian

Definition of lesbian

Recent Examples of lesbian from the Web

First Known Use of lesbian

lesbian

Definition of lesbian

Recent Examples of lesbian from the Web

First Known Use of lesbian

LESBIAN Defined for English Language Learners

lesbian

Definition of lesbian for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

lesbian

medical Definition of lesbian

lesbian

medical Definition of lesbian

Learn More about lesbian

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