daughter
Americannoun
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a female child or person in relation to her parents.
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any female descendant.
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a person related as if by the ties binding daughter to parent.
daughter of the church.
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anything personified as female and considered with respect to its origin.
The United States is the daughter of the 13 colonies.
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Chemistry, Physics. an isotope formed by radioactive decay of another isotope.
adjective
noun
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a female offspring; a girl or woman in relation to her parents
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a female descendant
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a female from a certain country, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment, etc
a daughter of the church
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archaic (often capital) a form of address for a girl or woman
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biology denoting a cell or unicellular organism produced by the division of one of its own kind
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physics (of a nuclide) formed from another nuclide by radioactive decay
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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daughterhoodnoun
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daughterlinessnoun
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daughter-likeadjective
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daughterlessadjective
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daughterlikeadjective
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daughterlyadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of daughter
before 950; Middle English doughter, Old English dohtor; cognate with German Tochter, Greek thygátēr, Sanskrit duhitā
Explanation
A daughter is a female offspring, and while it is usually referring to the female child's relationship to her parents, it might be used to suggest any similar relationship, such as the organization “Daughters of the American Revolution.” The English word daughter appeared before the Tenth Century as the Old English dohtor and later the Middle English doughter. Any connected group of women might be referred to as "daughters," For example, the "daughters of Zion" of the Bible and the "Daughters of Elysium" in Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" closing to his Ninth Symphony. If people say you are your mother's daughter, aside from pointing out the obvious they are saying the two of you have a lot in common.
Vocabulary lists containing daughter
List 6
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Spelling Practice, Unit 7
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Naomi Osaka, the author writes, “ticks all the boxes. She’s exceptionally curious, constantly asking questions, not simply following commands” as she tries to rebuild her game following the birth of her daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Amelia's mother, Kayley, believes these strict policies resulted in her daughter becoming ill from a series of serious infections caused by not drinking.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Wainschel’s post, which was OK’d by his daughter on the condition he didn’t embarrass her, didn’t lead to a job but did result in productive conversations, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Victoria - the BBC has agreed to not include her surname - 33, said her five-year-old daughter had "shot up" in size and needed more clothes for the new term.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Leah’s daughter, Lizzie, must have lived nearby with her husband, as she saw these younger relatives off and on.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Growing up, the couple’s twin daughters used to ride their scooters outside with other neighborhood kids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The emails also suggest she took her daughters along for lunch with him in Miami, days after his release from prison.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In other instances, they were daughters, state officials, or even the spouses of the governors doing the appointing.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
In the neighbouring village of Lege-Cap-Ferret, Elke Urbain and her two daughters spent the night in a community hall after being evacuated.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Over and over again, she begged, “Please, please, if you have my daughters, please let them go. Let them come home. They’re all I’ve got.”
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
