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: a regularly recurrent state of sexual receptivity during which the female of most mammals will accept the male and is capable of conceiving : heat
Some mares will exhibit estrus for 15 to 20 days.—
Frederick Harper
also
: a single occurrence of this state
Examples of estrus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Electricity is used to stimulate cell division, and, when this embryo is still just a bundle of cells on the scale of micrometres, a second dog, also in estrus, is operated on to become a surrogate mother.
—
Alexandra Horowitz, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
While it’s well established that lengthening daylight triggers a cat’s estrus, the effect of rising temperatures on kitten season isn’t yet understood.
—
Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024
Normally cycling participants earned about US$335 per 5-h shift during estrus, US$260 per shift during the luteal phase, and US$185 per shift during menstruation.
—
Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
These results constitute the first direct economic evidence for the existence and importance of estrus in contemporary human females, in a real-world work setting.
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Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'estrus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Estrus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estrus. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
estrus
noun
es·trus
ˈes-trəs
1
: a periodic state during which the female of most mammals is willing to mate with the male and is capable of becoming pregnant
2
estrous
adjective
-trəs
More from Merriam-Webster on estrus
Nglish: Translation of estrus for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about estrus
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