Definition and pronunciation
girlfriend /ˈɡɜrlˌfrɛnd/ — noun: a female romantic partner.
girl friend (two words): a girl or woman who is a friend (non-romantic). Modern usage favors girlfriend for romance and female friend for platonic clarity.
Easy explanation
A girlfriend is the woman someone is dating or in a relationship with. If you say “girl friend” with a space, you usually mean a friend who is female, not a romantic partner.
Grammatical formation
- Part of speech: countable noun (a girlfriend; two girlfriends).
- Possessive: girlfriend’s (“my girlfriend’s car”).
- Derivatives: ex-girlfriend; live-in girlfriend; long-term girlfriend.
- Typical frames: be/have a girlfriend; become someone’s girlfriend; introduce X as my girlfriend.
Meanings and nuances
- Female romantic partner in dating or committed relationships.
- In some contexts, used by women for close female friends (“a night out with my girlfriends”)—purely platonic.
- Historical or literal “girl friend” = female friend; today often avoided for clarity.
With prepositions and variants
- girlfriend of/for (rare; “girlfriend of the singer” in headlines).
- girlfriend to (informal, less common).
- go out with, date, break up with, move in with one’s girlfriend.
- ex-girlfriend of, girlfriend from (place/time), girlfriend since (time).
Common collocations
ex-girlfriend, steady girlfriend, long-term girlfriend, college girlfriend, live-in girlfriend, childhood girlfriend, current girlfriend, secret girlfriend, serious girlfriend, potential girlfriend, girlfriend material, meet the girlfriend, girlfriend’s parents
Idioms and neighboring expressions
go out with, going steady, other half, better half, significant other (SO), partner, bae, boo, date, plus-one, meet-cute, break up, patch up
Word comparisons
- girlfriend vs girl friend: one word = romantic; two words = platonic friend who is female.
- girlfriend vs partner: partner is gender-neutral and works for any gender.
- girlfriend vs wife/spouse: wife/spouse implies marriage; girlfriend is non-marital.
- girlfriend vs fiancée: fiancée is engaged to be married.
- girlfriend vs boyfriend: gender counterpart; not an antonym in meaning, just different gender term.
Real-life examples
- “He introduced Ana as his girlfriend.”
- “We’ve been girlfriend and boyfriend since high school.”
- “She’s having dinner with her girlfriends from work.”
- “After the breakup, his ex-girlfriend kept the apartment.”
Sample sentences
- “Do you have a girlfriend?”
- “Maya is Rina’s girlfriend; they met in grad school.”
- “He moved in with his girlfriend last fall.”
- “They broke up, but his ex-girlfriend stays friends with the family.”
- “I’m meeting my girlfriend’s parents tonight.”
- “She’s not my girlfriend—she’s a friend from class.”
- “They’ve been steady girlfriend and boyfriend for three years.”
- “He asked her to be his girlfriend.”
- “We went on a trip with two other couples and their girlfriends.”
- “Her girlfriends organized a surprise party.”
Synonyms
partner, significant other, SO, sweetheart, lady friend (dated), romantic partner, companion, lover, bae, boo
Antonyms
stranger, acquaintance, ex-girlfriend, enemy, rival
Related terms
boyfriend, partner, spouse, fiancée, wife, date, relationship, couple, significant other, romantic interest, ex, break up, cohabitation, domestic partner
Connection to sexuality
The word girlfriend itself is not sexual; it names a relationship role. It can describe relationships that are sexual or non-sexual, and it’s used across orientations (e.g., a woman’s girlfriend). If you need to avoid ambiguity with friendship, use female friend instead of “girl friend.”
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