lioness

noun

li·​on·​ess ˈlī-ə-nəs How to pronounce lioness (audio)
: a female lion

Examples of lioness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Early in the morning, Boyd watched as these lionesses groomed one of their five cubs in their territory. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2024 Two lionesses standing among tall grass, southern Kalahari, South AfricaGetty Images When is the most affordable time to visit South Africa? Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2024 Upon their return, the lionesses called their five young out to the grassland and began cleaning one of them. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Sedating the lioness for air transport after her concussion could kill her. Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024 Photographer Mark Boyd of Kenya captured a tender moment between two of the pride’s lionesses, which share parenting responsibilities, and one of the cubs. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Among the stunning wildlife portraits are an image of a polar bear sleeping on an iceberg off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and a photograph of two lionesses grooming one of the pride’s five cubs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 3 Dec. 2023 These extinct mongoose relatives were about 240 pounds–roughly the size of a lioness–and went extinct about 500,000 years ago. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Sep. 2023 Photos released by the fire service show the lioness before she was killed, peering out from a tangle of bushes and leaves. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 13 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lioness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lioness was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lioness

Cite this Entry

“Lioness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lioness. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lioness

noun
li·​on·​ess ˈlī-ə-nəs How to pronounce lioness (audio)
: a female lion

More from Merriam-Webster on lioness

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