1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

intercourse

noun

ˈin-tər-ˌkȯrs How to pronounce intercourse (audio)
Definition of intercoursenext
1
as in interaction
doings between individuals or groups the niceties of social intercourse are lost on that nerd

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis intercourse is one of ways by which the disease is commonly spread

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intercourse
  1. interaction
  2. relations
  3. relation
  4. mating
Noun
  • This flexibility can mirror a real human interaction, helping patients feel heard and at ease.
    — Sameer Bhat, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Some organizations may determine that an interaction involved information that was already public.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of interaction
Noun
  • As a senator, her priorities include supporting economic development, bettering police and community relations, securing funding for educational programs and passing policies for affordable housing, according to her campaign website.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • But despite years of diplomatic efforts there is no sign of a breakthrough in ending a war that has had repercussions for the global food and energy supply, as well as severely straining relations between Russia and Western countries.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of relations
Noun
  • But despite years of diplomatic efforts there is no sign of a breakthrough in ending a war that has had repercussions for the global food and energy supply, as well as severely straining relations between Russia and Western countries.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The disagreement came as Zambia was seeking to attract more investment into its copper and other critical-minerals industries while maintaining longstanding economic ties with China and developing closer commercial relations with the US.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of relation
Noun
  • Males perform complex mating flights in the late summer months and into fall (August through October) which often involve intercepting prospective partners mid-air.
    — Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
  • They’re commonly found mating, attached end-to-end while resting or even flying.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of mating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Phrases Containing intercourse

Browse Nearby Words

intercontinental
intercourse
intercourses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intercourse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intercourse. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All