woman
- lady
used as a noun
You usually refer to an adult female person as a woman /^wʊmən/.
His mother was a tall, dark-haired woman.
The plural of woman is women /^wɪmɪn/.
There were men and women working in the fields.
You can use lady as a polite way of referring to a woman, especially if the woman is present.
We had a visit from an American lady.
There is a lady here who wants to speak to you.
Be careful
It is almost always better to refer to someone as an old lady or an elderly lady, rather than an ‘old woman’.
It is almost always better to refer to someone as an old lady or an elderly lady, rather than an ‘old woman’.
I helped an old lady to carry her shopping.
She is an elderly lady living on her own.
If you are addressing a group of women, you call them ladies, not ‘women’.
Ladies, could I have your attention, please?
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
‘woman’ and ‘women’ used as modifiers
Woman is sometimes used in front of other nouns.
She said that she would prefer to see a woman doctor.
You use women in front of plural nouns, not ‘woman’.
Women drivers can get cheaper car insurance.
Be careful
Normally, you just refer to a female doctor, writer etc as a doctor or a writer. Only use woman doctor, woman writer etc if it is necessary to make it clear that you are referring to a woman.
Normally, you just refer to a female doctor, writer etc as a doctor or a writer. Only use woman doctor, woman writer etc if it is necessary to make it clear that you are referring to a woman.
➜ See female - feminine