- [uncountable, countable] the state of being male or female
- How can you tell what sex a fish is?
- sex of somebody/something a process that enables couples to know the sex of their baby
- We determined the sex of the birds from their DNA.
- Please indicate your sex and date of birth below.
- Levels of infection vary dramatically according to age and sex.
- discrimination on grounds of race or sex
- sex discrimination (= the act of treating men and women differently in an unfair way)
- Testosterone is the male sex hormone.
- In some areas the male : female sex ratio has reached 130 : 100.
- Trying to prove that sex differences in behaviour are innate is controversial.
Extra Examples- discrimination on grounds of sex
- The word ‘man’ can refer to all humans, irrespective of sex.
- Their gender identity does not match their biological sex at birth.
- I wanted to change my sex.
- issues of sex equality in the office
- The theory predicts sex differences in the brain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- female
- male
- opposite
- …
- determine
- change
- be attracted to
- …
- change
- equality
- discrimination
- …
- between the sexes
- the battle of the sexes
- equality between the sexes
- equality of the sexes
- …
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- [countable] either of the two groups that people, animals, and plants are divided into according to their function of producing young
- a member of the opposite sex
- people of the same sex
- single-sex schools
- differences between the sexes
- Exam results for both sexes have continued to improve.
- Gibson was the first African American of either sex to play at Wimbledon.
- the battle of the sexes (= the competitive relationship that exists between men and women)
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- female
- male
- opposite
- …
- determine
- change
- be attracted to
- …
- change
- equality
- discrimination
- …
- between the sexes
- the battle of the sexes
- equality between the sexes
- equality of the sexes
- …
- [uncountable] physical activity between two people in which they touch each other’s sexual organs, and which may include sexual intercourse
- sex with somebody He had sex with someone he met in a bar.
- gay sex
- the sex act
- a footballer involved in a sex scandal
- victims of sex abuse
- sex education in schools
- a controversial film containing explicit sex scenes
- a sex shop (= one selling magazines, objects, etc. that are connected with sex)
- These drugs may affect your sex drive (= your interest in sex and the ability to have it).
- Amid such poverty, the sex trade has flourished.
- The slogan for the hippie generation of the 1960s was sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Extra Examples- sex between consenting adults
- sex with her husband
- They teach that sex outside of marriage is wrong.
- I have had several sex partners over the years.
- safer sex practices
- Sex sells, the advertisers believe.
- Movies containing scenes of explicit sex are banned.
- He was convicted of having unlawful sex with an underage girl.
- to crack down on international sex trafficking
- He was arrested for sex crimes.
- The film featured graphic scenes of sex and violence.
- It's important to abstain from sex until treatment is completed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- anal
- oral
- penetrative
- …
- engage in
- have
- consent to
- …
- life
- drive
- urge
- …
- sex between
- sex with
- sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll
- sex and violence
- sex outside of marriage
- …
- -sexed(in adjectives) having the amount of sexual activity or desire mentioned
- a highly-sexed person
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting the two categories, male and female): from Old French sexe or Latin sexus.
Check pronunciation:
sex