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
Rebecca Honeycutt
b
: daughter
Papa's answer was quiet. "I thought I taught you to read, my girl."—Markus Zusak
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
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
Miranda CraceGirl, you need to give yourself some credit.—John Van Meter
John Van Meter4
: 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
Rotorua (New Zealand) WeekenderKeeping 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
Ed BaileyEve is a 10-year-old female kitty who is an independent pretty girl …—Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles
Jackson (Michigan) Citizen Patriot: Web Edition Articles6
dated, offensive
: a female servant or enslaved woman
also
: a female employee
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason is a dad of four girls, sharing 5-year-old Wyatt, 4-year-old Elliotte, 2-year-old Bennett and 5-month-old Finn with Kylie Kelce.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025
The two girls could not be more unalike, and are not friends.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Young viewers could see that Lizzie wasn’t all that different from Hilary, a fun-loving girl from Texas who just happened to be an actor.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Silent Hill f tells the story of Hinako, a teenage girl growing up in a small village in 1960's Japan.
—Vincent Acovino, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Because despite their wealth and power, NFL and Fox Sports executives are at heart jock-sniffing dorks who will do anything to appease a good sports player, and pretty blonde girls.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
His staff is attuned to when a car full of people pulls up to the store, but only one person comes inside – especially if that one person is a young girl with a specific gun model in mind.
—Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
The Del Mar program, a touch football sport for girls, was inspired by the students, PE Coach Kyle Ghazanfari said.
—Lauren Uppal, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
At the start of the novel none of the Bennet girls are married or have suitors.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025
The two girls could not be more unalike, and are not friends.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Young viewers could see that Lizzie wasn’t all that different from Hilary, a fun-loving girl from Texas who just happened to be an actor.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Silent Hill f tells the story of Hinako, a teenage girl growing up in a small village in 1960's Japan.
—Vincent Acovino, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Because despite their wealth and power, NFL and Fox Sports executives are at heart jock-sniffing dorks who will do anything to appease a good sports player, and pretty blonde girls.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
His staff is attuned to when a car full of people pulls up to the store, but only one person comes inside – especially if that one person is a young girl with a specific gun model in mind.
—Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
The Del Mar program, a touch football sport for girls, was inspired by the students, PE Coach Kyle Ghazanfari said.
—Lauren Uppal, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
At the start of the novel none of the Bennet girls are married or have suitors.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
girl
noun1
a
: a female child
b
: a young woman
2
offensive
: a female servant
—used especially in the past
3
Etymology
Middle English gurle, girle "a young person of either sex"
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