Noun

Singular girl

Plural girls

girl (plural girls)

1. A young female (in contrast to boy), usually a child or adolescent.

   Amanda is a girl of 16.

2. Any woman, regardless of her age. See usage notes.
3. A female servant; a maid. See usage notes.
4. (figuratively, pejorative) A boy with girl-like qualities, especially squeamishness.

   Stop being such a girl and punch back.

5. (uncommon) A queen (the playing card.)
6. (colloquial) A term of endearment. See usage notes.
7. a girlfriend.

   I'm going to meet my girl over there.

8. a daughter.

   Your girl turned up on our doorstep.

A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.

Usage for adults

The word girl is sometimes used to refer to an adult female. This usage may be considered derogatory or disrespectful in professional or other formal contexts, just as the term boy can be considered disparaging when applied to an adult man. Hence, this usage is often deprecative. It can also be used deprecatively when used to discriminate against children ("you're just a girl").

In casual context, the word has positive uses, as evidenced by its use in titles of popular music. It has been used playfully for people acting in an energetic fashion (Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl") or as a way of unifying women of all ages on the basis of their once having been girls (McBride's "This One's for the Girls"). In both cases, these positive uses are when the word is used for its capacity to collectively refer to the girls' gender rather than to their age.

Girls

Quotes about girls.

Sourced

• Sugar, spice and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls.
  • Opening narration from The Powerpuff Girls television show

• Attractive girls tend to be pro-choice. Unattractive girls tend to be anti-choice. Let's face it: If you can't get a man to sleep with you, you're not going to need an abortion...
  • Jacob M. Appel, American playwright, Causa Mortis (2009)

Unsourced

• Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the hell with sugar and spice.
  • Bethany Hamilton

• From the girl the woman is born; for It is in her that the future lies.
  • Anonymous

• If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.
  • Dorothy Parker

• Many men can learn a lot from girls, they just have to try.
  • Reploid Ciel

External links