male

noun

\ ˈmāl

Definition of male

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a male person : a man or a boy

b : an individual of the sex that is typically capable of producing small, usually motile gametes (such as sperm or spermatozoa) which fertilize the eggs of a female

2 : a plant having stamens but no pistils

male

adjective

Definition of male (Entry 2 of 3)

1a(1) : of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to produce relatively small, usually motile gametes which fertilize the eggs of a female

(2) : having or producing only stamens or staminate flowers a male holly

b : characteristic of boys, men, or the male sex a deep male voice

c : made up of usually adult male individuals : consisting of males a male choir

d : designed for or typically used by boys or men a male cologne male contraceptives

e : engaged in or exercised by boys or men A social code that taught women deference to male power in return for protection was upended …— Jane E. Schultz

f : having a quality (such as vigor or boldness) sometimes associated with the male sex

2 : masculine sense 3a

3 : designed with a projecting part for fitting into a corresponding female part a male hose coupling

Male

geographical name

Ma·le | \ ˈmä-lē

Definition of Male (Entry 3 of 3)

atoll in the Indian Ocean that is the chief island of the Maldives and contains the nation's capital population 103,693

Other Words from male Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about male

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for male

Synonyms: Noun

bastard, bloke [chiefly British], buck, cat, chap [chiefly British], chappie [British], dude, fella, fellow, galoot [slang], gent, gentleman, guy, hombre, jack, joe, joker, lad, man

Synonyms: Adjective

man-size (or man-sized), manlike, manly, mannish, masculine, virile

Antonyms: Adjective

unmanly, unmasculine

Examples of male in a Sentence

Noun

She attended a school where there were more males than females. The male of this species assists the female in feeding the young.

Adjective

There were more male than female students. Most extension cords have a male plug on one end and a female plug on the other.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Toothless is an alpha male whose assertion of his supremacy over dragonkind is thwarted and threatened by a sneering dragon hunter, Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), who has devoted his life to exterminating Night Furies. — Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times, "‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’: Third film soars with extraordinary visuals," 20 Feb. 2019 However, a recent article on gender in 2018 festival lineups found that seven out of 10 artists performing at festivals such as Bonnaroo and Governor’s Ball are men or all-male bands. — Jessica Lipsky, Billboard, "Latin Women Take The Reins: Insights From the Latin Alternative Music Conference," 13 July 2018 More than 80 percent of the minors are teenagers, mostly males, who crossed the border alone. — Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, "HHS secretary says Trump administration rushing to reunite migrant families separated at the border," 5 July 2018 The victim, a male who had yet to be identified Sunday morning, was found critically injured on the north shoulder of Grass Lake Road. — Lindsey Salvatelli, Lake County News-Sun, "Authorities looking for suspect in fatal Antioch hit-and-run," 10 June 2018 At the time women’s streetwear brands were just feminized version of the men’s and their advertisements all seemed to cater to the male gaze, Baby Phat centered women. — Jessica Andrews, Teen Vogue, "The Best Baby Phat Fashion Moments of All Time, Ahead of the Relaunch," 13 Mar. 2019 Our male counterparts have always seemed to be ahead of us, whether that be in business or political positions or even in the head of the house. — Willa Bennett, Seventeen, "I Asked 500 Girls Around The World What Being Female Means To Them," 8 Mar. 2019 That said, football is still the most popular sport for high school males. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "What a lifetime of playing football can do to the human brain," 4 Feb. 2019 That genetic trait could then get passed down, giving every male that inherits it the capacity to pass their mtDNA to their offspring. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Plot twist: Mitochondrial DNA can come from both parents," 28 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Like many Silicon Valley startup founders, Udashkin was young, male, and white and had access to a network that was willing and able to back Raden. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "When the “best” busts: the spectacular rise and fall of smart luggage startup Raden," 12 Dec. 2018 This is the case in trioecious nematodes, a type of roundworm with three sexes: male, female and hermaphrodite. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Alternatives to Heterosexual Pairings, Brought to You By Non-Human Animals," 28 June 2018 Bild Lilli was a single-panel comic character in a German tabloid — a sweet, ditzy, curvy figment of the male imagination, frequently losing her clothes and enjoying the company of men. — Brennan Kilbane, Allure, "Barbie's 60th Birthday Wish Was to Be More Inclusive. Now What?," 2 May 2019 In the early 1960s, there were no male toy figures popular with boys. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "Yo, Joe: How a 12-Inch Soldier Doll Became a Toy Legend," 9 Apr. 2019 The 11 people killed on the Deepwater Horizon in 2010 were all men, for example, because jobs on oil rigs are overwhelmingly male. — Noah Berlatsky, The Verge, "Daredevil’s ‘suffering makes a man’ trope is common, familiar, and bad for everyone," 24 Oct. 2018 More than 90 percent of the civilians killed or injured in the 2017 incidents were male, according to the justice department report. — Angela Hart, sacbee, "California police killed more than 170 civilians in 2017," 10 July 2018 The study also says that the average age of the deaths is 22-years-old and 72.5% of victims were male. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "This Teen Fell Off A Bridge While Trying To Take a Selfie And Broke Almost Every Bone in His Face," 21 Feb. 2019 On the far bank a bull elephant appeared, a big male tusker, a famous figure in these parts. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018

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