sex meaning

sex as a noun

1. activities associated with sexual intercourse
   • they had sex in the back seat

   Synonyms: sexual activity, sexual practice, sex activity

   Type of: bodily process

   Kinds: bondage, outercourse, safe sex, conception, sexual intercourse, pleasure, sexual love, carnal abuse, coupling, reproduction, foreplay, perversion

   Related forms: sexual

2. either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided
   • the war between the sexes

   Type of: class

3. all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses
   • he wanted a better sex life
   • the film contained no sex or violence

   Synonyms: sexual urge

   Type of: feeling

   Related forms: sexy

4. the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles
   • she didn't want to know the sex of the foetus

   Synonyms: gender, sexuality

   Type of: physiological property

   Kinds: maleness, androgyny, femaleness

sex as a verb

1. stimulate sexually
   • This movie usually arouses the male audience

   Synonyms: arouse, excite, turn on, wind up

   Type of: stimulate

   Kinds: tempt

2. tell the sex (of young chickens)

   Type of: distinguish

sex in a sentence

• The slime mold Physarum polycephalum has 720 sexes.
• His species has three sexes, and conception requires all three.
• The clutch of eggs is incubated by both sexes.
• Both sexes defend the nesting site, although most defense is done by the male.
• Tom and Mary thought their marriage would be more interesting if they both changed sexes.

How to pronounce sex

sex is pronounced /sɛks/ in British English and /sɛks/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.

Words that rhyme with sex

• complex
• flex
• specs