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
Firms including Cal-Maine Foods have touted a crushing avian flu outbreak, which has forced the culling of millions of egg-laying hens, as the major catalyst for the rise in egg prices.
—
Brian Evans, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
Most birds killed are egg-laying chickens, and the death of so many hens is the main reason egg prices keep rising.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
The Medical Center of San Antonio says on its website that some female chickens, known as broody hens, do exhibit maternal behaviors, such as sitting on a clutch of eggs with the intention of hatching them.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Some of these individual farms can have up to 6 million hens.
—Tove Danovich, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
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Brian Evans, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
Most birds killed are egg-laying chickens, and the death of so many hens is the main reason egg prices keep rising.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
The Medical Center of San Antonio says on its website that some female chickens, known as broody hens, do exhibit maternal behaviors, such as sitting on a clutch of eggs with the intention of hatching them.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Some of these individual farms can have up to 6 million hens.
—Tove Danovich, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hen
Articles Related to hen
Cite this Entry
“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hen
noun1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird
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