sex

noun

ˈseks How to pronounce sex (audio)
Definition of sexnext
as in intercourse
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis the students learned about the mechanics of sex and reproduction in health class

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sex
  1. intercourse
  2. mating
  3. relations
  4. sexuality
Noun
  • After intercourse, the teenager had snapped photos of her naked body on a futon as evidence.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 16 July 2026
  • The two counts of rape Høiby was convicted of did not involve intercourse.
    — Gwladys Fouche, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Definition of intercourse
Noun
  • First, there was Green Porno, her series of shorts that launched in 2008 on the Sundance Channel and explored some of the more bizarre mating behaviors in nature.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The team recently investigated the mating habits of another species, Leiobunum limbatum, which showed quite a different routine.
    — Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of mating
Noun
  • Postwar intellectuals used psychoanalytic ideas in a variety of ways, including to discuss race relations and homosexuality.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Rather, the pivotal transactions, graphed like the peaks and valleys of a volatile stock index, are the relations between men and women.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of relations
Noun
  • Hilton, who is gay, at times also made a sport out of speculating about people’s sexuality, including some that later came out publicly.
    — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Angelina Jolie‘s brother spoke candidly about his sexuality on Breathe Mija, the Substack from his ex-wife Romi Imbelli, on Thursday.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sexuality
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 sex

Browse Nearby Words

sew up
sex
sex act
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Cite this Entry

“Sex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sex. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sex

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sex

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