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Definition of "femme" []

  • Slang Exhibiting stereotypical or exaggerated feminine traits. Used especially of lesbians and gay men. (adjective)
  • Slang One who is femme. (noun)
  • Informal A woman or girl. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "femme" in a sentence
  • "As he began to introduce The Woman Men Yearn For, film critic Leonard Maltin suggested that it's time people stopped using the term "femme fatale" as their default for describing characters like those portrayed onscreen by Marlene Dietrich."
  • "But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi."
  • "While I realize that the lesbian community uses the term femme to classify a particular type of lesbian, my blog won't only address lesbians."