Meaning & use
male
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Belonging to the sex that produces sperm, or to the people and animals of that sex.
Grammar: Not comparable and used before a noun or after be: a male lion, the patient is male.
Patterns
- a male something
- be male
The male lion has a thick mane, while the female does not.
The survey included both male and female students.
The doctor asked whether the patient was male or female.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to or typical of men, or consisting of men.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a male choir, male voices.
Patterns
- male voice
- male choir
The male choir sang at the opening of the festival.
The company is trying to hire more women for traditionally male jobs.
He has a deep male voice.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Describing a plug, connector or part made to fit into a matching socket or opening.
Grammar: Used before nouns in technical contexts: a male plug.
Patterns
- male connector
- male end
The male end of the cable fits into the port on the back of the TV.
A male plug has pins that go into the socket.
nouncountable
A person or animal of the sex that produces sperm.
Grammar: Countable: a male, several males. Often used in science, statistics and descriptions of animals.
Patterns
- adult males
- a male of the species
Adult males of this species are larger than females.
The police are looking for a white male in his thirties.
Only the males of the species sing.
Word forms
| plural | males |
|---|
Common combinations
- adult male
- The adult male weighs about 180 pounds.
- male and female
- The form asks you to choose male or female.
- male-dominated
- Engineering was once a male-dominated field.
- male hormone
- Testosterone is the main male hormone.
- male connector
- Plug the male connector into the socket.
Synonyms and how they differ
- masculine
- Masculine describes qualities traditionally linked with men, while male simply states sex.
- manly
- Manly praises qualities seen as typical of men, such as strength, and is much more subjective than male.
- boy
- Boy refers to a young male person, while male can apply to any age or to animals.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: male or mail? male or female?
male vs mail
Mail is the post you send or receive and sounds exactly like male, but it is spelled with ai.
male vs female
Female is the opposite word, so check the spelling and meaning when filling out forms.
Practice
Which spelling completes the sentence: The zoo has one ____ gorilla and three females.
Choose one answer.
Male is the correct spelling for the sex that produces sperm. Mail sounds the same but means post.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “male”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.