French

1 of 3

adjective

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

French

2 of 3

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

french

3 of 3

verb

frenched; frenching; frenches
often capitalized

transitive verb

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
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.
Adjective
It is based on Aller Simple, Crave’s French crime drama series in which passengers invited to travel by helicopter to a French-Canadian billionaire’s home ended up stranded in a cottage. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025 The voting was taking place on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion and as Trump was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington. Edith M. Lederer, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025 It was then transferred to French oak Cognac casks that were seasoned with vanilla extract for ten weeks, creating a new range of flavors for the liquid to soak up. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 25 Feb. 2025 The wines ferment in 400-liter French oak barrels to build texture and complexity. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for French

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English frencisc, from Franca Frank

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

“French.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

French

1 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to France, its people, or their language

French

2 of 2 noun
1
: 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 FrenchMedical Industry Today
abbreviation F

Biographical Definition

French

biographical name

Daniel Chester 1850–1931 American sculptor
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!