girl

noun

ˈgər(-ə)l 

plural girls

1

a(1)

: a female child from birth to adulthood

a seven-year-old girl

(2)

: a person whose gender identity is female

… narrator Taylor Meskimen draws listeners into the emotional life of Zenobia July, a tech-savvy trans girl who's facing a new year at a new middle school.

—Rebecca Honeycutt

b

: daughter

Papa's answer was quiet. "I thought I taught you to read, my girl."

—Markus Zusak

c

: a young woman

d

sometimes offensive : a single or married woman of any age

2

: a female romantic partner : girlfriend

3

US, informal

a

: a female friend

I love going to a spa and dinner with my girls.

—Karen Clifton

b

—used as a friendly way of addressing a woman or girl

Hey girl, I like your taste in Christmas gifts.

—Miranda Crace

Girl, you need to give yourself some credit.

—John Van Meter

4

: a woman or girl native to a given place

a local girl

She was a city girl at heart.

5

: a female domesticated animal and especially a pet

She … is still mastering the art of being a good girl, as any 3-month-old puppy is.

—Rotorua (New Zealand) Weekender

Keeping low-key when leaving and returning is essential. Just a "Bye!" and "Be a good girl!" when you leave is plenty. Your dog will be busy with her goodies dispenser, anyway, and probably won't notice when you leave.

—Ed Bailey

Eve is a 10-year-old female kitty who is an independent pretty girl …

—Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles

6

dated, offensive : a female servant or enslaved woman

also : a female employee

girlhood

ˈgər(-ə)l-ˌhu̇d 

noun

Synonyms

• damsel
• demoiselle
• maid
• maiden
• miss

Examples of girl in a Sentence

Is this your little girl?

a group of teenage girls

His parents hope he'll soon find a nice girl, settle down, and get married.

Wait till the girls back home hear about this!

Our boss thinks of herself as just one of the girls.

She went out dancing with the girls.

They just hired a new girl to do the filing.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gurle, girle young person of either sex

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Phrases Containing girl

• altar girl
• a wisp of a girl/boy
• ball girl
• bat girl
• B-girl
• call girl
• cam girl
• Camp Fire girl
• chorus girl
• coat-check/hat-check girl
• cover girl
• flower girl
• Gibson girl
• girl boss
• girl/boy crazy
• girl Friday
• girl next door
• glamour girl
• head girl
• house girl
• office girl
• old girl
• party girl
• pinup girl
• poster girl
• stable girl
• sweater girl
• that's a good boy/girl/dog (etc.)
• the boy/girl next door
• Valley girl
• working girl

Kids Definition

girl

noun

ˈgər(-ə)l 

1

a

: a female child

b

: a young woman

2

offensive : a female servant

—used especially in the past

3

: sweetheart

girlhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

girlish

ˈgər-lish

adjective

girlishly adverb

girlishness noun

Etymology

Middle English gurle, girle "a young person of either sex"