nymphs

noun

plural of nymph
1
as in mermaids
a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors she bought the book of fairy tales for the beautiful engravings of nymphs and fairies featured between the stories

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2
as in larvae
a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects mayfly nymphs

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3
as in girls
a female person who has not yet reached adulthood the neighborhood nymphs were gathered at the local pizza parlor

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nymphs After the eggs hatch, the young dragonflies, called nymphs, live underwater for at least six months and for up to five years for some species. — Olga R. Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Circe, the poem’s speaker, instructs the nymphs in a recipe for cooking pork. — Bailey Sincox, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 And the ocean nymphs try out this wonder on more plants, and are delighted that the same thing happens at its touch, and repeat it by scattering the seeds from the plants through the waves. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026 The sculptor Berthold Nebel left his mark across Manhattan, from the sea nymphs in the ceilings of the old Cunard Building at the foot of Broadway to the limestone reliefs at the Hispanic Society up on 155th Street. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 July 2026 The thick mats cover up the rocky streambed where invertebrates like mayfly nymphs like to live, and instead creates habitats for smaller insects, chironomids and worms. — Hannah Smith july 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026 Diving deeper into stories of sirens, nymphs, and of course gods, several ancient dogs had stories of their own. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 24 July 2026 Try Handpicking The fastest way to get rid of squash bugs and their nymphs is to handpick these pests into a bucket of soapy water. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 20 July 2026 But that apprehension is directed toward monsters, goddesses, sorcerers, and nymphs. — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nymphs
  1. mermaids
  2. girls
  3. dryads
  4. fillies
Noun
  • Saturday, utilizes 56,000 square feet of indoor space to host more than 200 vendors, sword-fighting, costume contests, live musicians, mermaids, fairies and photo ops.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Artists, artisans, and food vendors, demonstrations of live combat styles including German longsword, fencing, and pirate swashbuckling, activities such as Squires’ spot with mermaids, games, and family entertainment.
    — Jeffrey F. Bill, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of mermaids
Noun
  • But even as the culture seems fairly concerned with the way famous women look, and the impact these images have on young girls and teenagers, the conversation around men and their body image has been lean.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Internal documents show Meta officials knew that Instagram harmed teen girls and chose not to disclose it.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of girls
Noun
  • In the final novel of the series, The Last Battle, the destruction of trees and dryads in Lantern Waste, a place tied to the creation of Narnia itself, is one of many portentous omens signalling the end of the world.
    — Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of dryads
Noun
  • Five older fillies and mares were entered in the 61/2-furlong sprint on the main track.
    — Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The Alcibiades and Jessamine are also worth watching because both are for two-year-old fillies, meaning the field is making its first serious appearance on a big stage.
    — Jill Barth, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fillies

Browse Nearby Words

nymphomanias
nymphs
o
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Cite this Entry

“Nymphs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nymphs. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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