daughter
Americannoun
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daughters
plural
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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:
He was on holiday with his wife Llinos and their daughter, and was travelling from Vermont to meet Llinos's parents, who had flown from Wales to join them in New York.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
I have a 6-month-old daughter and I’m looking forward to growing my collection through her eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Natasha Lewis' daughter described her as "an amazing, thoughtful, and strong woman"
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Kim's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, was first introduced to the public in 2022 when she accompanied her father to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
According to Ruth, Kate and Maggie had learned the rapping trick from Leah’s daughter before March of 1848.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Anscomb's wife Fiona and daughters Liberty and Imogen said in a statement: "He will be so very deeply missed by so many and has been robbed of the special times of life."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
She was 14 years my senior and returned home at night to a husband and three daughters on Long Island, while the rest of us headed to cramped apartments in the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Javid started speaking out publicly after his nephew's two daughters, aged 21 and 24, were deported, having lived in Sweden for eight years while studying to become nurses.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Barbara has summoned her three daughters to her suburban Indiana home, saying she needs their help.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Next, the baby nurse he’d hired back in 2003 to take care of his new twin daughters phoned him.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
