girlfriend
Pluralgirlfriends
- 1A woman who is someone's partner in a romantic relationship without being married.
Marco spent the holidays with his girlfriend's family upstate.
They had been boyfriend and girlfriend for nearly two years before moving in together.
Similarpartner, sweetheart
Oppositeboyfriend
Note
The compound itself, girl plus friend, says nothing about romance; usage supplied that. It pairs naturally with boyfriend, and an old girlfriend is a former partner, not an elderly one. The line in Star Trek's "The Man Trap" (1966) depends on that reading. Because this meaning dominates, the platonic "female friend" meaning now needs context to be heard.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Girlfriend is a compound of girl and friend. en.wiktionary.org
- Star Trek's episode "The Man Trap" aired in 1966. startrek.com
- The episode contains a line using old girlfriend to mean a former romantic partner; Captain Kirk says it to Dr. McCoy. en.wiktionary.org
- 2A woman or girl who is friends with another woman or girl.
Eleanor wrote to her girlfriends every week, sharing all the news from town.
She invited a girlfriend over to help plan the wedding luncheon.
UsageClearest in the plural or with names: her girlfriends. My girlfriend alone usually sounds like a partner.
Similarfriend
Note
Shiv Kotecha's The Switch (2018) writes of a woman sitting with "her girlfriends Fotini and Eleni," two old school friends.
- 3A familiar form of address for a close female friend, and also used affectionately among gay men.
"Girlfriend, that color looks incredible on you," she said with a grin.
"You go, girlfriend!" he called out from across the crowded bar.
UsageUsed on its own to address someone, with no article: Girlfriend, you look great! Also You go, girlfriend!
Note
It signals warmth and familiarity rather than any relationship, which is why a waiter can use it to greet a customer. Among gay men it is the spoken form of the "fellow gay man" meaning.
Less common meaning
- 4Within gay male circles, a fellow gay man valued as a close platonic friend rather than as a romantic or sexual partner.
As a gay man, Tomás counted Andre among his oldest and dearest girlfriends.
For years, Ray has been his go-to girlfriend for brunch and gossip.
Similarfriend
Note
Eric Orner's The Seven Deadly Sins of Love (1994) makes the contrast explicit: James is "my lover carlos's best girlfriend," so the girlfriend is exactly the one who is not the lover.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Eric Orner wrote The Seven Deadly Sins of Love. en.wikipedia.org
- James is described as “my lover carlos's best girlfriend”; the speaker is Tim, whose lover is Carlos. en.wiktionary.org
Practice
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Origin
A compound formed from "girl" and "friend."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Girlfriend is a compound formed from girl and friend. en.wiktionary.org