1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of France, its people, or their language
2
: of or relating to the overseas descendants of the French people
Frenchness
noun
1
plural in construction
: the French people
2
: a Romance language that developed out of the Vulgar Latin spoken in northern and central Transalpine Gaul and that became the literary and official language of France
3
: strong language
pardon my French
frenched; frenching; frenches
often capitalized
1
: to trim the meat from the end of the bone of (something, such as a chop)
2
: to cut (green beans) in thin lengthwise strips before cooking
Examples of French in a Sentence
Noun
the customs of the French
Recent Examples on the Web
Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
At the rear of the entry, French doors lead to a room that could be a home office, den or library.
—James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
Some 491 arrests in Paris have been made following nationwide incidents in the aftermath of PSG’s victory, the club’s first ever trophy in European soccer’s primary club competition and only the second for a French club, after Marseille’s win in 1993.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 1 June 2025
During their trip, the pair shared cappuccinos and pastries in Copenhagen, strolled through Parisian streets, and savored French onion soup and champagne at Café de Flore.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for French
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Aged 10 months in large French oak casks and six months in steel.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
At the rear of the entry, French doors lead to a room that could be a home office, den or library.
—James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
Some 491 arrests in Paris have been made following nationwide incidents in the aftermath of PSG’s victory, the club’s first ever trophy in European soccer’s primary club competition and only the second for a French club, after Marseille’s win in 1993.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 1 June 2025
During their trip, the pair shared cappuccinos and pastries in Copenhagen, strolled through Parisian streets, and savored French onion soup and champagne at Café de Flore.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for French
Cite this Entry
“French.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
French
1 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to France, its people, or their language
French
2 of 2 noun1
: the Romance language of the French
2
French plural
: the people of France
Medical Definition
French
noun
plural French
: a unit of measure equal to one-third millimeter used in measuring the outside diameter of a tubular instrument (as a catheter or sound) inserted into a bodily cavity
the catheter shaft size is three French—Medical Industry Today
—abbreviation F
Medical Industry TodayBiographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share