- [countable] an adult female human
- a 54-year-old woman
- an interesting young woman
- married/single women
- men, women and children
- a women's group/movement
- I prefer to see a woman doctor.
Extra ExamplesTopics Life stagesa1, People in societya1- women in business
- Older women often feel invisible.
- She is a role model for other women.
- The freedom to wear trousers became a symbol of women's liberation.
- She plays for the women's team.
- The little girl she remembered was now a grown woman.
- There were important changes in the position of women in society.
- We want to change the way women are depicted in the media.
- Women were limited to the more poorly paid jobs.
- Why should women be reduced to playing a passive role?
- a United Nations report on violence against women
- a professor of women's studies
- Both men and women should have access to paid parental leave.
- The drug carries a warning against use by pregnant women.
- There are many professional opportunities for young women today.
- Two well-dressed women were sitting at the next table.
- Our mother was a very beautiful woman.
- She worked for women's rights.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- young
- middle-aged
- elderly
- …
- marry
- depict
- portray
- …
- the oppression of women
- violence against women
- the position of women
- …
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- [uncountable] female humans in general
- (informal) She's all woman! (= has qualities that are typical of women)
- [countable] (in compounds) a woman who comes from the place mentioned or whose job or interest is connected with the thing mentioned
- an Englishwoman
- a businesswoman
- a Congresswoman
- a horsewoman
More About gendergenderWays of talking about men and women- When you are writing or speaking English it is important to use language that includes both men and women equally. Some people may be very offended if you do not.
- Man and mankind have traditionally been used to mean ‘all men and women’. Many people now prefer to use humanity, the human race, human beings or people.
- The suffix -ess in names of occupations such as actress, hostess and waitress shows that the person doing the job is a woman. Many people now avoid these. Instead you can use actor or host (although actress and hostess are still very common), or a neutral word, such as server for waiter and waitress.
- Many job names ending in -man also have a female equivalent ending -woman (e.g. postman/postwoman), but in some cases one equivalent is rarely or never used, especially in old-fashioned job names that were traditionally done by one sex (e.g. coalman, washerwoman). Other forms such as batswoman and tradeswoman are becoming more common as more women start to do these jobs.
- Neutral words like assistant, worker, person or officer are now often used instead of -man or -woman in the names of jobs. For example, you can use police officer instead of policeman or policewoman, and spokesperson instead of spokesman or spokeswoman. Neutral words are very common in newspapers, on television and radio and in official writing, in both British English and North American English.
- When talking about jobs that are traditionally done by the other sex, some people say: a male secretary/nurse/model (NOT man) or a woman/female doctor/barrister/driver. However, this is now not usually done unless you need to emphasize which sex the person is, or it is still unusual for the job to be done by a man/woman: My daughter prefers to see a woman doctor.They have a male nanny for their kids.a female racing driver
- He used to be considered to cover both men and women: Everyone needs to feel he is loved. This is not now acceptable. Instead, after everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone, somebody, someone, etc. one of the plural pronouns they, them, and their is often used: Does everybody know what they want?Somebody’s left their coat here.I hope nobody’s forgotten to bring their passport with them.
- It is now generally acceptable in writing and speech to use they, them, and their to refer to a singular noun: When a guest arrives, they check in and we show them to their room. However, some people prefer to use he or she, his or her, or him or her: Everyone knows what’s best for him- or herself. He/she or (s)he can also be used in writing: If in doubt, ask your doctor. He/she can give you more information. (You may find that some writers just use ‘she’.) If these uses seem awkward, you can change the sentence and use a plural noun. Instead of saying: A baby cries when he or she is tired you can say Babies cry when they are tired.
- Some people now specify which pronouns they prefer to be used when they are referred to, usually according to their gender identity: I want to share with you that I am trans, and my pronouns are ‘they’ and ‘them’.
- [countable] a female worker, especially one who works with her hands
- We used to have a woman to do the cleaning.
- [singular] (old-fashioned, offensive) a rude way of addressing a female person, especially when telling her what to do
- Be quiet, woman!
- [countable] (sometimes disapproving) a person's wife, girlfriend or female partner
- He's got a new woman in his life.
Word OriginOld English wīfmon, -man (see wife, man), a formation peculiar to English, the ancient word being wife.
Idioms
See woman in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee woman in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe your own man/woman
- (approving) to act or think independently, not following others or being ordered
- Working for herself meant that she could be her own woman.
hell hath no fury (like a woman scorned)
- used to refer to somebody, usually a woman, who has reacted very angrily to something, especially the fact that her husband or partner has been unfaithful
like a man/woman possessed | like one possessed
- with a lot of force or energy
- She flew out of the room like a woman possessed.
make an honest woman of somebody
- (old-fashioned, humorous) to marry a woman after having had a sexual relationship with her, especially if she is pregnant
a man/woman after your own heart
- a man/woman who likes the same things or has the same opinions as youTopics Opinion and argumentc2
the man (and/or woman) in the street
- an average or ordinary person, either male or female
- Politicians often don't understand the views of the man in the street.
- What really matters to the man and woman in the street?
a man/woman of (many) parts
- a person with many skills
a man/woman of the people
- (especially of a politician) a man/woman who understands and supports ordinary people
- She wanted to seem like a woman of the people.
a man/woman of substance
- (formal) a rich and powerful man or woman
a man/woman of the world
- a person with a lot of experience of life, who is not easily surprised or shocked
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woman