sex
noun
uk
/seks/ us
/seks/sex noun (MALE/FEMALE)
It's illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of (their) sex.
She accused her employer of sex discrimination (= of treating her unfairly because she was a woman).
Compare
Note:
- Some people prefer to use the word "sex" only when talking about the physical condition of being male, female, or intersex, and prefer to use the word "gender" when talking about someone's identity and the group they belong to in society.
C1 [ C ]
sex noun (ACTIVITY)
Sex before/outside marriage is strongly disapproved of in some cultures.
She was complaining about all the sex and violence on television.
unprotected sex (= sex without using something to prevent disease or becoming pregnant)
- She crusaded against sex and violence on television.
- The sex scenes had been cut out of the English version of the film.
- She's always dragging sex into the conversation.
- Later on in life the sex drive tends to diminish.
- The magazine, which gives frank advice about sex and romance, is aimed at the teenage market.