1
a
: a female chicken especially over a year old
broadly : a female bird
b
: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2
: woman
especially : a fussy middle-aged woman

Examples of hen in a Sentence

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.
Then scientists would inject the edited Nicobar pigeon PGCs into the embryos of regular chickens — roosters and hens — that have been genetically modified not to make their own germ cells. Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025 Like egg-laying hens and poultry flocks, dairy cows have been affected by bird flu. Claire Malon, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025 Speaking of hens a-cluckin’, all the Big Little Liars were ringing up Witherspoon to see if there was really a season three, or if Kidman was just on one. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025 Befriended by the aged proprietor of a now defunct Greek coast restaurant, the hen becomes an unwitting witness of human misery – greed, migrant trafficking, revenge upon revenge. John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hen

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

hen

noun
1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird

More from Merriam-Webster on hen

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