1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of France, its people, or their language
2
: of or relating to the overseas descendants of the French people
Frenchness
noun
1
plural in construction
: the French people
2
: a Romance language that developed out of the Vulgar Latin spoken in northern and central Transalpine Gaul and that became the literary and official language of France
3
: strong language
pardon my French
frenched; frenching; frenches
often capitalized
1
: to trim the meat from the end of the bone of (something, such as a chop)
2
: to cut (green beans) in thin lengthwise strips before cooking
Examples of French in a Sentence
Noun
the customs of the French
Recent Examples on the Web
Tatiana Ojea, Glamour, 5 May 2024
Cued by country French architecture, this spacious gazebo satisfies modern needs.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 May 2024
This Pascha coincides with the 262nd anniversary of Mexico's victory over occupying French forces at Puebla.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
Bergen was married to prolific French film director Louis Mal from 1980 until his death on Thanksgiving day in 1995.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 4 May 2024
On May 5, 1862, in a small town in east-central Mexico called Puebla, 2,000 Mexican soldiers faced 6,000 French troops at daybreak.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
The actor, who turns 61 in June, is rolling out his French film Jeanne du Barry to U.S. audiences on May 3 after the period drama opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
That year’s jury was led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre – and sometime over the course of the festival the two men hit it off.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
And Canada will have a suite of French language channels as part of its offering.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The keys to this manicure are very simple: as a base, the manicurist chose a pink tone that French manicure enthusiasts will be used to wearing.
—Tatiana Ojea, Glamour, 5 May 2024
Cued by country French architecture, this spacious gazebo satisfies modern needs.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 May 2024
This Pascha coincides with the 262nd anniversary of Mexico's victory over occupying French forces at Puebla.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
Bergen was married to prolific French film director Louis Mal from 1980 until his death on Thanksgiving day in 1995.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 4 May 2024
On May 5, 1862, in a small town in east-central Mexico called Puebla, 2,000 Mexican soldiers faced 6,000 French troops at daybreak.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
The actor, who turns 61 in June, is rolling out his French film Jeanne du Barry to U.S. audiences on May 3 after the period drama opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
That year’s jury was led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre – and sometime over the course of the festival the two men hit it off.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
And Canada will have a suite of French language channels as part of its offering.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'French.' 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 French
Cite this Entry
“French.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
French
1 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to France, its people, or their language
French
2 of 2 noun1
: the Romance language of the French
2
French plural
: the people of France
Medical Definition
French
noun
plural French
: a unit of measure equal to one-third millimeter used in measuring the outside diameter of a tubular instrument (as a catheter or sound) inserted into a bodily cavity
the catheter shaft size is three French—Medical Industry Today
—abbreviation F
Medical Industry TodayBiographical Definition
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