Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A female child.
- noun A daughter.
- noun Often Offensive A woman.
- noun A woman socializing with a group of women.
- noun Used as a familiar form of address to express support of or camaraderie with a woman.
- noun Informal A female sweetheart.
- noun Offensive A female servant or employee.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A young person of either sex; a child.
- noun A female child; any young person of the female sex; a young unmarried woman.
- noun In the language of the chase, a roebuck of two years old.
- noun A maid-servant.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete A young person of either sex; a child.
- noun A female child, from birth to the age of puberty; a young maiden.
- noun United States A female servant; a maidservant.
- noun (Zoöl.), Prov. Eng. A roebuck two years old.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
young female human ; (in contrast toboy ), a femalechild oryoung adult . - noun Any
woman , regardless of her age. See usage notes. - noun A female
servant ; amaid . See usage notes. - noun figuratively, pejorative A boy with girl-like qualities, especially
squeamishness . - noun colloquial A term of endearment. See usage notes.
- noun A
girlfriend . - noun A
daughter . - noun UK, dialect, obsolete A
roebuck two years old.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a young woman
- noun a female human offspring
- noun a friendly informal reference to a grown woman
- noun a youthful female person
- noun a girl or young woman with whom a man is romantically involved
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"the Indiana girl," from the name of her pa's hotel, though it must be confessed that the sweet name of _girl_ seems sadly incongruous when applied to such a gigantic piece of humanity.
The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52 Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe
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She's not only the prettiest girl I've seen for many a year, but she's _the girl_. "
The Shield of Silence George [Illustrator] Loughridge
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I want to say I'm the new "girl," but unless you are in the South where the term girl is used as commonly as "you" in some places, I think I'm past qualifying...
Archive 2009-02-01 Casey 2009
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I want to say I'm the new "girl," but unless you are in the South where the term girl is used as commonly as "you" in some places, I think I'm past qualifying...
New wicked one... Lori Devoti 2009
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"I think some people don't understand the word 'girl crush,'" she said.
Writers With Crushes Making Waves Mike Vilensky 2011
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The main girl is a cutter who starts hanging out with a Goth girl and going to Goth clubs.
slayground: Booklist: Monster Mash Little Willow 2006
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As a Brit in France who has just aquired a French Lady Friend, we are too old for the term girl friend!
what not to eat 2005
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Remember, Every virgin girl is saving herself for YOU.
And for the guys… 2002
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I did not mean to offend you by using the term girl; I was going to assure you that we had no need of the decanter.
Roughing It in the Bush Susanna Moodie 1844
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The word boy when used for an African American man is a fighting word, as is the word girl when applied to women.
Forbes.com: News Victoria Pynchon 2011
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The VSCO girl, named after VSCO, an Instagram-like app for photo editing and sharing, wears oversize name-brand shirts, wrist scrunchies, and puka shell necklaces, shows her concern for the environment by carrying around a metal straw and Hydro Flask water bottle, and likes to say “sksksksk” (aka the letters that indicate a keyboard smash) out loud, among other highly specific characteristics.
“You Can Never See Their Pants for Some Reason” Heather Schwedel 2023
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The days when the girlboss was hailed a feminist icon are over and now Gen Z are ushering in the era of the "snail girl" — a trend that sees women prioritize a slower life of happiness and self-care over hustle culture and overwork.
Say goodbye to the girlboss: The 'snail girl era' is here, encouraging young women to live a slower, more relaxed lifestyle Sawdah Bhaimiya 2023
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The days when the girlboss was hailed a feminist icon are over and now Gen Z are ushering in the era of the "snail girl" — a trend that sees women prioritize a slower life of happiness and self-care over hustle culture and overwork.
Say goodbye to the girlboss: The 'snail girl era' is here, encouraging young women to live a slower, more relaxed lifestyle Sawdah Bhaimiya 2023
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Email X (Twitter) Facebook319 LinkedIn WhatsApp Messenger Print On TikTok and Instagram, people are “girl mossing”: lying on a forest floor, staring up at a leafy canopy or caressing moss.
‘We cannot simply go, go, go.’ What is girl mossing, the wellness trend that rejects hustle culture? Anna Halafoff 2024
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The “clean girl” is an image, a vibe, a genre — one that promotes self-care, comfort, and looking put-together.
oroboros commented on the word girl
Long lashes lifting,
Lips curving, blue eyes dancing,
Ah! Enchanting smile.
May 4, 2008