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intercourse

intercourse

108 7.8
Sex that involves a man's penis entering a woman's vagina
  • noun
  • /ˈɪntərˌkɔrs/
  • NSFW
: relación sexual
  • And so we did not have sexual intercourse with each other until the first night of our marriage.
  • sexual intercourse
  • vaginal intercourse
  • unprotected intercourse

I know they did some sexual things but he claims they never had full blown intercourse.

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Examples

  • Women with endometriosis often complain of deep pain during intercourse because penetrative sex causes pressure against this area.

    Academic text (2012)
  • I only have intercourse with my husband, Phil.

  • Are you guys having sexual intercourse?

  • Henry, I asked you if you and Mary had sexual intercourse.

  • For me, when I started engaging in intercourse, I started out using protection.

  • We ought to in fact have sexual intercourse, otherwise the species dies out, right?

  • Women received their first information about sexual intercourse from parents at the earliest age.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The moment that we did have intercourse, I regretted it.

  • Was intercourse pleasurable for you?

  • They decided to wait until marriage for intercourse to honor their beliefs.

Synonyms

relation
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
67 8.3

Sex between people

is broader, including orgasm and nonpenetrative relations
fucking
vsintercourse
  • Offensive
57 9.9

Sex between two people

is neutral and clinical rather than crude or offensive
sexual activity
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
38 3.0

Physical acts between people, like touching or having sex, that give pleasure

is narrower, naming the specific penetrative sexual act
sexual relation
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
38 3.4

Sex between people, for example in a romantic or casual relationship

is focused on penetration and orgasm, not relationship status
sexual intercourse
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
34 3.2

An act in which one person's penis enters another person's vagina

is broader, adding orgasm and wider sexual relations
sex act
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
25 3.7

Sexual activity between people, often intercourse

is more specific about penile vaginal penetration and orgasm
coitus
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
9 8.5

An act in which a man puts his penis into a woman's vagina

is more general, covering desire and relationship aspects
copulation
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
7 8.2

Sex in which a male inserts his penis into a female's vagina

is broader, including orgasm and other sexual relations
sexual congress
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
3 7.5

To have sex with someone

is the standard neutral and anatomically specific term
carnal knowledge
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
2 8.3

Sex between people, usually meaning one person entering another, used in legal texts

is the everyday term covering pleasure and consent aspects
sex activity
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
2 3.1

Private actions between people that involve touching for pleasure

is focused on the specific penetrative act and climax
coition
vsintercourse
  • NSFW
1 9.9

Sex when a man's penis goes into a woman's vagina

is broader, stressing orgasm and wider sexual meaning

Compounds

34 3.2

An act in which one person's penis enters another person's vagina

anal intercourse
  • Offensive
2 7.7

Sex in which a penis goes into another person's anus

2 7.4

Talking and sharing feelings with other people

How Intimate

intercourse
  • NSFW
108 7.8
kissing
  • NSFW
157 1.0

Surface Forms

intercourse singular
intercourses plural

Morphology

intercourse = course (opaque) = inter + course

Although historically formed from 'inter' + 'course', the sexual sense is a specialized semantic shift that learners cannot reliably derive from the components.

Etymology

Intercourse comes from the parts inter- 'between' and course 'a running' or 'path'. The idea of 'running between' two people — or two people coming together along a path — is how the word came to mean sexual relations.