plural sperm or sperms
1
a
: semen
b
: a male gamete
especially
: spermatozoon sense 1
2
: a product of the sperm whale
variants
or spermo-
or sperma-
or spermi-
: seed : germ : sperm
spermatheca
spermicide
Examples of sperm in a Sentence
Noun
The sperm fertilizes the egg.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
The process involves collecting eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, then implanting them in a uterus.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
There are only around 30,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, so access to these animals—and particularly their sperm and eggs—is extremely limited.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024
The case involved a couple who had accused a Scottsdale fertility clinic of wrongful death for accidentally losing five of their 10 frozen embryos, created with their eggs and sperm via IVF.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024
Others want to get to know a donor before accepting his sperm.
—John Otis, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The mother then confirmed they had been conceived with donor sperm.
—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are a long-term, reversible form of birth control that lessens the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize an egg.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
In fact, some aren't friendly at all and may even damage sperm.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
Conception can’t happen unless egg and sperm actually meet—which means that just about any drug designed to waylay the functionality or motility of sperm could play a role in the female reproductive tract.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
The process involves collecting eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, then implanting them in a uterus.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024
There are only around 30,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, so access to these animals—and particularly their sperm and eggs—is extremely limited.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024
The case involved a couple who had accused a Scottsdale fertility clinic of wrongful death for accidentally losing five of their 10 frozen embryos, created with their eggs and sperm via IVF.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024
Others want to get to know a donor before accepting his sperm.
—John Otis, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The mother then confirmed they had been conceived with donor sperm.
—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are a long-term, reversible form of birth control that lessens the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize an egg.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
In fact, some aren't friendly at all and may even damage sperm.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 2 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sperm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sperm
Cite this Entry
“Sperm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sperm. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
sperm
noun
plural sperm or sperms
1
: the male impregnating fluid : semen
2
: a male gamete
especially
: spermatozoon
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