# girl

/ˈɡɝɫ/ (US) · /ɡˈɜːl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/girl
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. female child

noun · CEFR A1

a female child or a young person who is not yet an adult.

For teachers: a female child or adolescent.

- The little girl was playing with her toys in the garden.
- The primary school teacher noticed that the young girl had a remarkable talent for mathematics and logical puzzles.

### 2. young woman

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

a young woman, often used informally among friends.

For teachers: a young adult woman. Often used informally, though it can be perceived as patronising in professional or formal contexts.

- She is a smart girl who just started her first job at the bank.
- While the term is common in casual conversation, referring to a female colleague as a girl in a board meeting may be viewed as unprofessional.

Teaching tip: In modern professional English, 'woman' is preferred over 'girl' to avoid sounding condescending.

### 3. female friend

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a way to talk about or address a female friend.

For teachers: a female friend or peer, frequently used as a term of address or in the plural 'girls' to refer to a social group.

- I am going out for dinner with the girls from work tonight.
- She maintained a close-knit circle of friends, often referring to the group as 'the girls' despite them all being in their fifties.

### 4. daughter

noun · CEFR A2

someone's female child.

For teachers: a person's daughter, regardless of her age.

- They have two children: a boy and a girl.
- Even though she was nearly forty, her father still proudly introduced her as his baby girl to his old colleagues.

### 5. girlfriend

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a person's female romantic partner.

For teachers: a female romantic partner; often used with a possessive pronoun.

- He is bringing his new girl to the party on Saturday.
- The protagonist spent the entire novel trying to win back his girl, only to realise they had grown too far apart.

### 6. cocaine

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English

a slang word for the drug cocaine.

For teachers: a slang term for cocaine, specifically in powder form.

- The police found a small bag of girl in the suspect's car.
- Undercover officers used various street names, including 'girl' and 'white', to identify the illicit substances being traded in the district.

### 7. to feminize

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to make something seem more feminine or suitable for girls.

For teachers: to feminize or adapt something to suit a female audience or identity.

- The company tried to girl the product by making it pink.
- Critics argued that the studio's attempt to girl the action franchise by adding a female lead felt forced and superficial.

## Examples

- The little girl is playing with her dog in the park.
- The school organized a special science workshop to encourage every girl in the class to consider a career in engineering.
- Sociologists often study how the transition from being a girl to an adult woman is marked by different cultural rituals across the globe.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.