1
a
: a female chicken especially over a year old
broadly
: a female bird
b
: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2
: woman
especially
: a fussy middle-aged woman
Examples of hen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Everyone quashed the latter, not wanting a for-profit fox in the non-profit hen house.
—
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Their last encounter was just the week before, when the tom came in with hens but wouldn’t work into shotgun range.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hen 
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Their last encounter was just the week before, when the tom came in with hens but wouldn’t work into shotgun range.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hen
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hen
noun1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird
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