woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇-mən 

especially Southern

ˈwō- 

or

ˈwə- 

plural women ˈwi-mən 

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

: womankind

3

: distinctively feminine nature : womanliness

4

: a woman who is a servant or personal attendant

5

a

chiefly dialectal : wife

b

: mistress

c

: girlfriend sense 2

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 

 especially Southern  ˈwō-

 or  ˈwə-

adjective

Synonyms

• female
• lady

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

Arizona voters don't shy away from female candidates, but will Americans ever put a woman in the White House? —Christopher Howley, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024

Texas women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer now knows exactly what his peers think about his team. —Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024

The film follows a shy woman who is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024

Compared to men’s, women’s patented biomedical inventions in the U.S. are 35% more likely to benefit women’s healthcare needs. —Corinne Post, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing woman

• a man/woman/person of substance
• a man/woman/person to be reckoned with
• a man/woman/person to reckon with
• a marked man/woman
• anti-woman
• battered woman syndrome
• cleaning woman
• emancipated woman
• fancy woman
• kept woman
• like a man/woman possessed
• little woman
• make an honest woman of (someone)
• make (someone) an honest woman
• man/woman of few words
• man/woman of his/her word
• one-woman
• other woman
• Renaissance woman
• the little woman
• the other woman
• trans woman
• woman/man of style
• woman of color
• woman of ill repute
• woman of letters
• woman of the street
• woman of the world
• woman's/feminine touch
• woman's rights
• woman suffrage

Kids Definition

woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇m-ən 

plural women ˈwim-ən 

1

: an adult female person

2

: womankind

3

: a woman who is a servant or attendant

Etymology

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