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sex

sex

1.6
Physical contact with another person for pleasure or to make a baby
  • noun
  • /sɛks/
  • NSFW
translation icon : sexo
  • Currently, only abstinence-only sex education programs are funded by the federal government.
  • sex partner
  • safe sex
  • unprotected sex

There's no point at which sex stops being healthy.

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Examples

  • They are so obsessed with the sex lives of other people.

  • What are some of the other reasons that sex stops in relationships?

  • Like when I think about sex, I think about hot men.

  • With that all being said, why my sex life is still great?

  • We're not having sex in the living room.

  • Have you ever been able to have sex and not fall in love?

  • When was the last time you had sex?

  • There's no point at which sex stops being healthy.

  • It was a sex podcast called Sex Stories.

  • Many couples prioritize open communication about their needs and desires regarding sex.

Synonyms

relation
vssex
  • NSFW
103 8.3

Sex between people

is the general common word not limited by formality or specific genders
intercourse
vssex
  • NSFW
89 7.8

Sex that involves a man's penis entering a woman's vagina

is more general, covering various intimate activities beyond this specific act
sexual relation
vssex
  • NSFW
62 3.4

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

is the shorter, more general label for such acts or relationships
sexual intercourse
vssex
  • NSFW
31 3.2

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

is a broader term for any intimate activity between people rather than that specific act
sexual activity
vssex
  • NSFW
31 3.0

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

is the simple, common word that also includes these actions and intercourse
sex act
vssex
  • NSFW
19 3.7

Sexual activity between people, often intercourse

is the general concept covering both single acts and ongoing intimate behaviour
copulation
vssex
  • NSFW
8 8.2

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

is broader and includes social or casual intimate actions as well as the biological act
sexual congress
vssex
  • NSFW
1 7.5

To have sex with someone

is the everyday, wider word used for all kinds of intimate behaviour

Idioms

the fair sex
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Women that older writers treat as delicate and needing protection

9.7

Extremely pleasurable or satisfying in a way that feels better than usual

Compounds

A legal partnership between two people of the same sex

72 6.5

A person who has been found guilty of a sexual crime like assault or abuse

oral sex
  • Offensive
50 6.0

Using the mouth, lips, or tongue to touch someone's private parts

safe sex
  • NSFW
28 3.0

Sex where people use condoms and other steps to prevent infections

sex drive
  • NSFW
25 4.2

A natural desire to have sex

sex crime
  • NSFW
22 6.6

An illegal sexual act done without the other person's agreement, often using force or threats

sex appeal
  • NSFW
19 3.5

Attractive to other people in a way that makes them want to be physically close

sex act
  • NSFW
19 3.7

Sexual activity between people, often intercourse

sex change
  • Specialized
15 4.2

A medical operation and hormone treatment to make a person's body match the gender they feel

sex symbol
  • NSFW
13 3.8

A famous person, for example an actor or singer, who many people think is very sexually attractive

sex toy
  • NSFW
12 3.8

An object people use to give private physical pleasure to a person

anal sex
  • Offensive
11 7.3

Sexual activity when a person with a penis puts it into another person's anus

sex object
  • Offensive
9 7.0

A person others see only for sexual reasons, not as a whole person

sex talk
  • Informal
9 5.4

A conversation about sex to teach people about bodies and safety

6 5.7

Medical treatment with surgery and hormones that helps a person live as a different gender

sex organ
  • Specialized
5 3.3

A body part used to make babies, like the penis, vagina, testes, or ovaries

sex machine
  • Offensive
4 7.9

A person who others see as very attractive and confident with partners in private

sex hormone
  • Specialized
4 3.6

A body chemical that helps sex organs and other adult body features like hair or voice develop

4 7.7

A crime in which someone forces another person to have sex against their will

sex kitten
  • Slur
3 8.8

A young woman seen as very sexually attractive who tries to attract others

2 5.2

Sex between a married person and someone who is not their husband or wife

sex bomb
  • NSFW
1 7.4

A person, often a woman, who many people find very sexually attractive

fair sex
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old polite phrase for women that shows admiration

1 8.2

A machine like a sex toy or robot that gives sexual pleasure

1 6.5

A physical change during puberty that shows male or female differences and does not help make babies

sex cell
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A cell that joins another to make a new living thing, like sperm or egg

sex characteristic
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A trait of body and mind linked to being male or female

sex chromosome
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A part of a cell that decides whether an animal is male or female

sex linkage
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A gene on a sex chromosome that makes a trait appear more often in one sex than the other

sex manual
  • NSFW
1 5.6

A book that gives adults advice on how to be physically closer to a partner

sex gland
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A gland that makes the cells used to make babies, like an ovary or testis

sex pact
  • NSFW
1 8.7

An agreement between people to have sex with each other

The practice of separating men and women into different places or groups

eye sex
  • NSFW
9.9

Looking at each other to show sexual or romantic attraction

gentle sex
  • NSFW
8.1

Physical closeness between partners that is soft, careful, and focused on comfort and trust

primary sex character
  • Specialized
8.8

Body parts used for having babies, like genitals, that show if someone is male or female

5.2

A body part you are born with that helps make babies, like genitals or ovaries

7.4

A physical feature that differs between males and females, like body hair or a deep voice

sex character
  • Specialized
7.0

A physical or mental trait typical of one sex

3.1

Private actions between people that involve touching for pleasure

sex chromatin
  • Specialized
8.4

A small dark spot inside a cell nucleus that shows a second X chromosome in female cells

sex number
  • NSFW
8.2

How many people someone has had sex with

sex hair
  • NSFW
8.9

Hair that looks messy as if a person has just had sex

sex-haver
  • NSFW
9.9

A person who has sex with other people

sex-linked disorder
  • Specialized
6.2

A condition caused by a gene on a sex chromosome that affects males and females differently

How Intimate

sex
  • NSFW
1.6
sexual activity
  • NSFW
31 3.0
petting
  • NSFW
34 7.1
kissing
  • NSFW
100 1.0

Surface Forms

sex singular
sexes plural

Etymology

Sex for sexual activity comes from the old Latin word sexus, meaning 'gender' or 'sexual nature', and it is the same root in sexual, so 'sex' today means sexual activity.