woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇-mən How to pronounce woman (audio)
especially Southern
ˈwō- How to pronounce woman (audio)
or
ˈwə- How to pronounce woman (audio)
plural women ˈwi-mən How to pronounce woman (audio)
1
a
: an adult female person
b
: a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation)
usually used in combination
councilwoman
2
3
: distinctively feminine nature : womanliness
4
: a woman who is a servant or personal attendant
5
a
chiefly dialectal : wife
b
6
: a woman who is extremely fond of or devoted to something specified
I'm a chocolate woman through and through, but one bite of West's banana pudding cupcake and I was sold.Hattie Brown Garrow
woman adjective
womanless
ˈwu̇-mən-ləs How to pronounce woman (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈwō-
 or  ˈwə-
adjective

Examples of woman in a Sentence

She grew up to become a confident and beautiful woman. She is a grown woman. The store sells shoes for both men and women.
Recent Examples on the Web Unfortunately, labor inequities persist, with Black women still disproportionately affected by the pandemic, overrepresented in low-wage jobs, and negatively impacted by racial and gender pay gaps. Essence, 22 Mar. 2024 Some of the women said Gobin could be gregarious, charming and generous. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 The Women's Cancer Fund raised $18.3 million by vowing to help patients, telling donors that their money would help pay the living expenses of women going through treatment for the disease. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 In her therapy group, Jones said that Hildebrandt had told many of the women to separate from their husbands, at least temporarily. Samantha Wanderer, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024 With eligible men aged between 18-60 not being allowed to leave Ukraine, news reports were filled with images of mostly women and young children fleeing the country, wrapped in blankets or with grandparents nearby. Zoe Whitfield, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 Jamie Castro, however, took exception to the judge’s view, saying the calls were not the words of a naive woman but one who was trying to influence witnesses and blatantly violate a court order. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 New research suggests that taking calcium and vitamin D supplements together may be both beneficial and risky for postmenopausal women. Maggie O'Neill, Health, 21 Mar. 2024 Last year, hundreds of thousands were able to enter, most of them women, children and elderly men. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'woman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English wīfman, from wīf woman, wife + man human being, man

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of woman was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near woman

Cite this Entry

“Woman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

woman

noun
wom·​an ˈwu̇m-ən How to pronounce woman (audio)
plural women ˈwim-ən How to pronounce woman (audio)
1
: an adult female person
2
3
: a woman who is a servant or attendant
Etymology

Old English wīfman "a female person," from wīf "woman, wife" and man "person"

More from Merriam-Webster on woman

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!