woman

noun

ˈwu̇-mən How to pronounce woman (audio)
Definition of womannext
1
as in lady
an adult female human being the first woman to become governor of the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in girlfriend
a female romantic companion wanted to give his woman all the finer things in life

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in wife
chiefly dialect a female partner in a marriage treated his woman to dinner at a five-star restaurant for their fifteenth wedding anniversary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of woman Instead of lacing up her sneakers, the British endurance runner, Peloton instructor and Hoka global ambassador will be on a broadcast vehicle providing on-course commentary for WABC-TV and ESPN on the women’s professional field. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026 Two stabbing victims, a 16-year-old boy and a 39-year-old woman, suffered life-threatening injuries, Topeka police said in a news release. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026 One Valkyries supporter said the women deserved more respect and should have gotten the prime-time slot. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Charges against a woman tied to the death of a 4-year-old boy in Atlanta have been upgraded to murder, police said Wednesday evening. — Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for woman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woman
  1. lady
  2. girlfriend
  3. wife
  4. female
  5. girl
Noun
  • The ladies’ restroom at work has a push-open door; there is no latch and no handle on the outside.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Gilded Age would generally prefer that nothing disrupt the basic contours of its serene status quo, where ladies in hats sit in drawing rooms and deliver smiling rebukes of one another’s decor.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of lady
Noun
  • Rose has been awaiting death since 1977 for the kidnap and murder of Lisa Berry, the 8-year-old daughter of his former girlfriend.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The trial is expected to start Thursday for a man accused of fatally running over his girlfriend, a junior in high school, in Burlington in 2023 during a night allegedly involving underage drinking and a violent argument.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of girlfriend
Noun
  • Created by Rowan Joffé, the series follows Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a former homicide detective turned recluse following the death of his wife and daughter.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The Office Lounge offers a variety of signature cocktails, from $15 to $17, like the after hours (reposado tequila, orange juice, lime juice and agave), the work wife (tequila mezcal, strawberry purée, lime juice and Tajín).
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of wife
Noun
  • Connie, one of only two remaining females in the tent and the third baker to finish, wows Paul and Nigella with her (yes) chocolate-orange fondants and gets a handshake.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • More than 230 people were kidnapped and more than 1,000 females were raped.
    — Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of female
Noun
  • Santa Margarita’s domination in high school girls golf continued Monday, with the Eagles winning the Southern Section Division 1 team title by four strokes over Orange Lutheran at Los Serranos Golf Club in Chino Hills.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Track Pants Want to get in on the cool-girl pants trend backed by PEOPLE writers and A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence?
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of girl

Phrases Containing woman

Browse Nearby Words

wolves
woman
womanhood
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Woman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woman. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All