Standard Lemma guide

shemale

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈʃi.meɪl/
  • Northern-California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːmeɪl

1

noun

Meaning 1

A male-to-female transsexual or transgender person; a trans woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, especially, offensive, proscribed

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A male-to-female transsexual or transgender person; a trans woman.

A male or non-binary person with feminine characteristics; a femboy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, derogatory, especially, offensive, proscribed, uncommon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A male animal which displays female traits or behaviors; for example, a male reptile which gives off female pheromones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: nonstandard

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From she- + male.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 人妖 (rényāo) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Finnish: sukupuolenvaihtaja — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • French: transexuelle — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • German: Shemale — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Hebrew: קוֹקְסִינֶל (qoqsinél) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Japanese: ニューハーフ (nyūhāfu) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Korean: 쉬메일 (swimeil) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Persian: شیمیل (ši-meyl) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Polish: shemale — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Portuguese: traveco — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Russian: шиме́йл (šimɛ́jl) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Russian: членоде́вка (členodévka) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Russian: шмель (šmelʹ) — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Spanish: travelo — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Spanish: travesti — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Swedish: shemale — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person
  • Swedish: transsexuell person — male-to-female transsexual or transgender person