If you say that a woman is, for example, a gambling woman or an outdoors woman, you mean that she likes gambling or outdoor activities.
She is an avid outdoors woman.
I'm too old to have a dog now. I'm a cat woman.
4. countable noun [n-proper N]
If you say that a woman is, for example, a London woman or an Oxford woman, you mean that she comes from London or Oxford, or went to university there.
...a 38-year-old London woman.
The headmistress was an Oxford woman.
5. countable noun [with supplement]
You can refer to a female representative of a company or organization as that company or organization's woman.
[journalism]
Yet another successful Labour woman took her seat.
She was a senior BBC woman.
6. countable noun [poss NOUN]
Some people refer to someone's wife, lover, or girlfriend as their woman.
[informal]
Synonyms: girlfriend, girl, wife, partner More Synonyms of woman
7. vocative noun
People sometimes address a woman as 'woman' when they are ordering her to do something or when they are angry or impatient with her. This use could cause offence.
[offensive]
8. See also career woman
9.
See woman enough to/for
10.
See my good woman
11.
See be your own woman
12.
See to a woman
13.
See woman to woman
14. the woman in the street
15. woman about town
16. woman of the world
More Synonyms of woman
-woman
(-wʊmən)
combining form [ADJECTIVE noun]
-woman combines with numbers to indicate that something involves the number of women mentioned.
...a seven-woman team.
woman in British English
(ˈwʊmən)
nounWord forms: pluralwomen (ˈwɪmɪn)
1.
an adult female human being
2. (modifier)
female or feminine
a woman writer
3.
women collectively; womankind
4. the woman
5.
a female servant or domestic help
6. informal
a wife, mistress, or girlfriend
7. the little woman
8. woman of the streets
verb(transitive)
9. rare
to provide with women
10. obsolete
to make effeminate
▶ Related prefixes: , gyno-, gynaeco-
Derived forms
womanless (ˈwomanless)
adjective
woman-like (ˈwoman-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English wīfmann, wimman; from wife + man (human being)
woman in American English
(ˈwʊmən)
nounWord forms: pluralˈwomen (ˈwɪmən)
1.
a.
the female human being
b.
women collectively
2.
an adult female human being
3.
a female servant
4.
a. Dialectal
a wife
b.
a sweetheart or a mistress
5.
womanly qualities or characteristics; femininity
the woman in her
adjective
6.
of or characteristic of a woman or women; feminine
7.
female
a woman scientist
Idioms:
the little woman
the other woman
SYNONYMY NOTE: woman is the standard general term for the adult human being of the sex distinguished fromman; female, referring specif. to sex, is applied to plants and animals, but is now regardedas a mildly contemptuous equivalent for , woman [that strong-minded female is here again], except in scientific, technical, or statistical use, as in population tables; lady, used specif. of a woman of the upper classes and until recently commonly used inpolite or genteel reference to any woman is now avoided as a general substitute forwoman, except in such formulas as “ladies and gentlemen”
Word origin
ME wumman < OE wimmann < wifmann < wif, female, UNRESOLVED CROSS REF + mann, human being, UNRESOLVED CROSS REF: rounding of vowel due to infl. of the initial w-
-woman in American English
(ˈwʊmən)
woman of a (specified) kind, in a (specified) activity, etc.
sometimes used in compounds to avoid the masculine implication of -man, pl. form -women
More idioms containing
woman
hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
Examples of 'woman' in a sentence
woman
The women help each other tie light tags to their swimming costumes for visibility.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They will also support pregnant women and new mothers with existing mental illness.
The Sun (2016)
It will make many women ask themselves if they can trust these high street brands.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Knowing what is going on once the correct diagnosis has been made is sometimes all women want.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are the umbrella constructs forming the language used by women about their bodies.
Bloom, Carol & Gitter, Andrea (contributor) & Gutwill, Susan (contributor) & Kogel,Laura (contributor) & Zaphiropoulos, Lela (contributor) Eating Problems: A Feminist Psychoanalytic Treatment Model (1994)
This woman and my wife have been close friends since they were tiny.
The Sun (2014)
He also missed the company of women.
Jonathan Gregson BLOOD AGAINST THE SNOWS: The Tragic Story of Nepal's Royal Dynasty (2002)
This constitutes the literal policing of pregnant women.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Surely older women have more spending power than younger women?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Worried social workers raised the alarm after losing contact with the woman and her adult son.
The Sun (2013)
What she means is that women should be able to do both.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The research also found that women used click and collect more than men.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Old women command enormous respect and wield considerable power within the home.
Butt, Gerald A Rock and a Hard Place (1994)
Regular exercise helps many women, and can help lift your mood.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
In other languages
woman
British English: woman /ˈwʊmən/ NOUN
A woman is an adult female human being.
My favourite woman is my mother.
American English: woman
Arabic: اِمْرَأَة
Brazilian Portuguese: mulher
Chinese: 女人
Croatian: žena
Czech: žena
Danish: kvinde
Dutch: vrouw
European Spanish: mujer
Finnish: nainen
French: femme
German: Frau
Greek: γυναίκα
Italian: donna
Japanese: 女性
Korean: 여자
Norwegian: kvinne
Polish: kobieta
European Portuguese: mulher
Romanian: femeie
Russian: женщина
Latin American Spanish: mujer
Swedish: kvinna
Thai: ผู้หญิง
Turkish: kadın
Ukrainian: жінка
Vietnamese: đàn bà
All related terms of 'woman'
old woman
If you refer to someone, especially a man, as an old woman , you are critical of them because you think they are too anxious about things.
one-woman
A one-woman performance or business is done by only one woman, rather than by several people.
the woman
feminine nature or feelings
yes-woman
If you describe a woman as a yes-woman , you dislike the fact that she seems always to agree with people who have authority over her, in order to gain favour .
fancy woman
a person's female lover
front woman
If you say that someone is a front woman for a group or organization, you mean that their role is to represent and give a good impression of it to the public, especially when it is not very respectable or popular .
inner woman
a woman's mind, soul , or nature
other woman
a woman who is romantically or sexually involved with another woman's husband or lover , esp. a woman who is having an affair with a married man
stunt woman
A stunt woman is a woman whose job is to do dangerous things, either for publicity , or in a film instead of an actor so that the actor does not risk being injured .
tally-woman
a mistress
well-woman
a woman who, although not ill , attends a health-service clinic for preventive monitoring , health education, and advice
widow woman
a woman who has survived her spouse , esp one who has not remarried
woman-hater
a person who has an irrational hatred of women
woman to woman
A woman-to-woman conversation or meeting takes place between two women , especially two women who meet to discuss a serious personal matter .
career woman
A career woman is a woman who regards her job and progressing in it as very important .
little woman
→ the little woman
painted woman
a woman whose appearance suggests she is promiscuous
scarlet woman
a sinful woman described in Revelation 17, interpreted as a figure either of pagan Rome or of the Roman Catholic Church regarded as typifying vice overlaid with gaudy pageantry
to a woman
If you say that a group of women are, do, or think something to a woman , you are emphasizing that every one of them is, does, or thinks that thing.
woman doctor
a female doctor
woman driver
a female driver
woman friend
a female friend
woman teacher
a female schoolteacher
woman writer
A writer is a person who writes books, stories , or articles as a job.
cleaning woman
A cleaning woman is the same as a → cleaner [sense 1 ] .
woman suffrage
the right of women to vote in governmental elections
my good woman
People sometimes address a woman as my dear woman or my good woman . This form of address is often friendly , but can also suggest that the speaker feels superior to the person being addressed, and is best avoided .
one-woman show
a show or performance performed by one woman
Renaissance woman
If you describe a woman as a Renaissance woman , you mean that she has a wide range of abilities and interests, especially in the arts and sciences .
right-hand woman
Someone's right-hand woman is the woman who acts as their chief assistant and helps and supports them a lot in their work.
the little woman
to marry (a woman)
the other woman
the woman with whom a married man had or is having an affair
well-woman clinic
a health-service clinic for preventive monitoring , health education, and advice for women
woman of letters
a woman engaged in literary pursuits , esp. a professional writer
oilwoman
An oilwoman is a woman who owns an oil company or who works in the oil business .
be your own woman
If you say that a woman is her own woman , you approve of the fact that she makes her plans and decisions herself, and does not depend on other people.
one-woman performance
a show or performance performed by one woman
sound effects woman
a woman who produces sounds artificially or reproduces them from a recording , etc, to create a theatrical effect, such as the bringing together of two halves of a hollow coconut shell to simulate a horse's gallop . Such sound effects are used in plays, films, etc
woman enough to/for
If you say that a woman is woman enough to do something, you mean that she has the necessary courage or ability to do it.
woman in the street
the average woman
woman of easy virtue
a sexually available woman , esp a prostitute
woman of the streets
a prostitute
woman police constable
a policewoman of the lowest rank
weatherwoman
A weatherwoman is a woman who presents weather forecasts at regular times on television or radio.
make an honest woman of
to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant ) to prevent scandal
Renaissance man (or woman)
a highly cultivated man (or woman) who is skilled and well-versed in many fields of knowledge , work, etc., as in the arts and sciences
man about town
If you describe someone as a man about town or a woman about town , you mean that they are sophisticated, like to go out and spend money , and have a busy social life.
women's rights
the rights, claimed by and for women, of equal privileges and opportunities with men
a man/woman of his/her word
If you refer to someone as a man of his word or a woman of her word , you mean that they always keep their promises and can be relied on.
man of the world
If you say that someone is a man of the world or a woman of the world , you mean that they are experienced and know about the practical or social aspects of life, and are not easily shocked by immoral or dishonest actions.