filly

noun

fil·​ly ˈfi-lē How to pronounce filly (audio)
plural fillies
1
: a young female horse usually of less than four years
2
: a young woman : girl

Examples of filly in a Sentence

she's still a filly, so she has plenty of time to decide what she wants to do in life
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.
The $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) is Race 9 Saturday and seven 3-year-old fillies are entered with a pair of favorites expected to decide the race. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025 Race 11 is the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) for 3-year-old fillies with the same qualifying points awarded towards the May 2 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 Here are this morning's top headlines so far: A day for the fillies: The 2024 Kentucky Oaks will take place at Churchill Downs today! Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 3 May 2024 There are eight 3-year-old fillies entered for the Kentucky Oaks points race. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for filly

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fyly, from Old Norse fylja; akin to Old English fola foal

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of filly was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Filly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filly. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

filly

noun
fil·​ly ˈfil-ē How to pronounce filly (audio)
plural fillies
: a young female horse usually less than four years old

More from Merriam-Webster on filly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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