hen

noun

ˈhen 

1

a

: a female chicken especially over a year old

broadly : a female bird

b

: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)

2

: woman

especially : a fussy middle-aged woman

Examples of hen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But then a pair of hens flew off the roost with the second gobbler, landing nearby — then pulling the first tom away, too. —Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 7 May 2025

Another meaningful label, Certified Humane, comes with a guarantee that hens were not raised in cages and were provided the opportunity to express their innate, instinctual behaviors, or, said differently, to act like hens. —Pete & Gerry's Contributor, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Michelle McKenzie is a farmer at Bellair Farm and CSA in Charlottesville, Virginia, which grows vegetables and raises pastured cattle, hogs, broilers, and laying hens. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2025

One solution to limit the spread of bird flu is to regulate the number of hens allowed in a single facility. —Jack Buffington, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing hen

• Cornish game hen
• Cornish hen
• game hen
• hazel hen
• heath hen
• hen and chickens
• hen night
• hen of the wood
• hen of the woods
• hen party
• hen track
• marsh hen
• mother hen
• Rock Cornish game hen
• Rock Cornish hen
• tappit hen
• water hen

Rhymes for hen

• ben
• bren
• chen
• den
• en
• gen
• glen
• jen
• ken
• men
• pen
• sten

Kids Definition

hen

noun

ˈhen 

1

: a female chicken especially over a year old

2

: a female of any bird