What does "womb" mean?
In female mammals, the organ in which the young are conceived and grow until birth; the uterus.
Womb
/wuːm/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: In female mammals, the organ in which the young are conceived and grow until birth; the uterus.
- Grammar: womb is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: uterus, bag, ballocks, balls.
- Usage evidence: Surely he can not enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!
How to use "womb"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "womb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "womb" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "womb" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "womb" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "womb" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "uterus" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "womb", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 In female mammals, the organ in which the young are conceived and grow until birth; the uterus.
"I danced myself right out the womb / Is it strange to dance so soon?"
- 2 a hollow muscular organ in the pelvic cavity of females; contains the developing fetus wordnet
- 3 The abdomen or stomach. obsolete
"And his hede, hym semed,was enamyled with asure, and his shuldyrs shone as the golde, and his wombe was lyke mayles of a merveylous hew[…]."
- 4 The stomach of a person or creature. obsolete
- 5 A place where something is made or formed. figuratively
"The womb of earth the genial seed receives."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Any cavity containing and enveloping anything.
"The centre spike of gold Which burns deep in the blue-bell's womb."
Verb
- 1 To enclose in a womb, or as if in a womb; to breed or hold in secret. obsolete, transitive
"she grew round-wombed"
Example
"Surely he can not enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "womb"?
Common synonyms include: uterus, bag, ballocks, balls, basket, beard.
How do you use "womb" in a sentence?
Surely he can not enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!
How do you pronounce "womb"?
Pronounced /wuːm/.
Etymology
From Middle English wombe, wambe, from Old English womb, wamb (“belly, stomach; bowels; heart; womb; hollow”), from Proto-West Germanic *wambu, from Proto-Germanic *wambō (“belly, stomach, abdomen”). Cognate with Scots wam, wame (“womb”), Dutch wam (“dewlap of beef; belly of a fish”), German Wamme, Wampe (“paunch, belly”), Danish vom (“belly, paunch, rumen”), Swedish våmb (“belly, stomach, rumen”), Norwegian vom (“rumen”), Icelandic vömb (“belly, abdomen, stomach”), Old Welsh gumbelauc (“womb”), Breton gwamm (“woman, wife”), Sanskrit वपा (vapā́, “the skin or membrane lining the intestines or parts of the viscera, the caul or omentum”). Superseded non-native Middle English mater, matere (“womb”) and matris, matrice (“womb”) borrowed from Latin māter (“womb”) and Old French matrice (“womb”), respectively.