woman

noun

wom·​an ˈwu̇-mən How to pronounce woman (audio)
especially Southern
ˈwō- How to pronounce woman (audio)
or
ˈwə- How to pronounce woman (audio)
plural women ˈwi-mən How to pronounce woman (audio)
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
3
: distinctively feminine nature : womanliness
4
: a woman who is a servant or personal attendant
5
a
chiefly dialectal : wife
b
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 How to pronounce woman (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈwō-
 or  ˈwə-
adjective

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
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.
After four seasons as a bumbling apex predator, Joe faces a new challenge as the show ends: The women are fighting back harder than ever. Anika Reed, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025 Men and women were kept separate, many just sitting on bunk beds and reading books. Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025 More recent research has found that about 15% of pregnant women are likely to have had an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime, and about 5% have an ED in pregnancy. Michelle Konstantinovsky, SELF, 22 Apr. 2025 Former UConn women’s basketball star Nika Muhl will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after suffering a torn ACL last October while playing in Europe. Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for woman

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

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

Cite this Entry

“Woman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

woman

noun
wom·​an ˈwu̇m-ən How to pronounce woman (audio)
plural women ˈwim-ən How to pronounce woman (audio)
1
: an adult female person
2
3
: a woman who is a servant or attendant
Etymology

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

More from Merriam-Webster on woman

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