-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
: a regularly recurrent state of sexual receptivity during which the female of most mammals will accept the male and is capable of conceiving : heat
Some mares will exhibit estrus for 15 to 20 days.—Frederick Harper
also
: a single occurrence of this state
Examples of estrus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bucks are cruising, chasing, and tending estrus does.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Early Estrus Does Those with a traditional mid-November rut should see 90 to 95 percent of does enter estrus during the 11th month.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 24 Oct. 2024
Electricity is used to stimulate cell division, and, when this embryo is still just a bundle of cells on the scale of micrometres, a second dog, also in estrus, is operated on to become a surrogate mother.
—Alexandra Horowitz, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
While it’s well established that lengthening daylight triggers a cat’s estrus, the effect of rising temperatures on kitten season isn’t yet understood.
—Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for estrus
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.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near estrus
Cite this Entry
“Estrus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estrus. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
estrus
noun
es·trus
ˈes-trəs
1
: a periodic state during which the female of most mammals is willing to mate with the male and is capable of becoming pregnant
2
estrous
adjective
-trəs
More from Merriam-Webster on estrus
Nglish: Translation of estrus for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about estrus
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share