Woman

UK: /ˈwʊmən/ US: /ˈwʊmən/ ,(wŏŏm′ən)

Inflections of 'woman' (n): npl: women

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

wom•an /ˈwʊmən/   n., pl. wom•en 

/ˈwɪmɪn/ .
1. Sex and Gender [countable] an adult female person.
2. [countable] a female servant or attendant.
3. [uncountable] women thought of as a group;
   womankind.
4. [uncountable] feminine nature, characteristics, or feelings.

adj. [before a noun]

5. female:
   a woman plumber; a woman astronaut.

-woman, suffix. 

1. Pronouns -woman is used to form nouns with the meaning "involving a woman;
   a woman in the role of:''
   chairwoman; spokeswoman.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

wom•an  (wŏŏm′ən), n., pl. wom•en (wim′in), v., adj. 
n. 

1. Sex and Gender the female human being (distinguished from man).
2. Sex and Gender an adult female person.
3. a female attendant to a lady of rank.
4. a wife.
5. the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women;
   womanliness.
6. Sex and Gender a sweetheart or paramour;
   mistress.
7. a female employee or representative:
   A woman from the real estate agency called.
8. Sex and Gender a female person who cleans house, cooks, etc.;
   housekeeper:
   The woman will be in to clean today.
9. women collectively:
   Woman is no longer subordinate to man.
10. be one's own woman, (of females) to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence;
    be independent.

v.t. 

11. to put into the company of a woman.
12. to equip or staff with women.
13. [Obs.] to cause to act or yield like a woman.

adj. 

14. of women;
    womanly.
15. female:
    a woman plumber.

• bef. 900; Middle English womman, wimman, Old English wīfman, equivalent. to wīf female + man human being; see wife, man¹

wom′an•less, adj. 
Synonyms

Woman, female, lady are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female; that is, capable of bearing offspring. Woman is the general term. It is neutral, lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication, and is the most commonly used of the three:
a wealthy woman; a woman of strong character, of unbridled appetites.
In scientific, statistical, and other objective use, female is the neutral contrastive term to male and may apply to plants and animals also:
104 females to every 100 males; Among lions, the female is the chief hunter.
Female is sometimes used in disparaging contexts:
a gossipy female; a conniving female.
Lady meaning "refined, polite woman'' is a term of approval or praise:
a real lady in all things; to behave like a lady.

Usage

2. Although formerly woman was sometimes regarded as demeaning and lady was the term of courtesy, woman is the designation preferred by most modern female adults:
League of Women Voters; American Association of University Women.
Woman is the standard feminine parallel to man. As a modifier of a plural noun, woman, like man, is exceptional in that the plural form women is used:
women athletes; women students.
The use of lady as a term of courtesy has diminished somewhat in recent years (the lady of the house), although it still survives in a few set phrases (ladies' room; Ladies' Day). Lady is also used, but decreasingly, as a term of reference for women engaged in occupations considered by some to be menial or routine:
cleaning lady; saleslady.
See also girl, lady, -woman. 

-woman, 

1. Pronouns a combining form of woman: chairwoman;
   forewoman;
   spokeswoman.

Usage

Feminine compounds ending in -woman are equivalent to the masculine compounds in -man. When the person referred to is a woman, the feminine form is often, but not always, used:
alderman, alderwoman; assemblyman, assemblywoman; chairman, chairwoman; congressman, congresswoman; spokesman, spokeswoman; businessman, businesswoman.
However, some forms ending in -man are applied to women, and occasionally terms in -man are specified by legal code:
Alderman Dorothy Lavelle.
In general, the practice in current edited written English is to avoid the -man form in reference to a woman or the plural -men when members of both sexes are involved. Instead, a sex-neutral term is used:
council members
rather than councilmen and councilwomen; representative or legislator rather than congressman or congresswoman. See also chairperson, -man, -person. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

woman / ˈwʊmən/ noun ( women / ˈwɪmɪn/)

1. an adult female human being
2. (modifier) female or feminine: a woman writer
3. women collectively; womankind
4. traditionally feminine qualities or virtues: I feel very in touch with the woman in me
5. a female subordinate, servant, or employee
6. a female member of a group, team, etc
7. a wife, girlfriend, etc
8. be one's own woman ⇒ to be independent or free
9. the little woman ⇒ one's wife
10. woman of the streets ⇒ a prostitute

verb (transitive)

1. to make effeminate

Etymology: Old English wīfmann, wimman; from wife + man (human being)

ˈwomanless adjective

ˈwoman-ˌlike adjective