intercourse
/ˈɪntəkɔːs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈin-tər-ˌkȯrs/ (ame, mw)
intercourse — noun
1. sexual activity between two people, especially in which a man's penis enters a w
sexual activity between two people, especially in which a man's penis enters a woman's vagina.
The doctor asked Layla whether she had ever had unprotected intercourse.
collocation: unprotected intercourse; have intercourse
The health teacher told the class that intercourse can pass on certain infections.
uncountable subject in a generic statement
Many religions traditionally teach that intercourse should happen only within marriage.
Christopher and his wife wanted a baby and tracked the best days for intercourse.
- sex
everyday word; far more common in speech
- lovemaking
softer, more romantic register
- coitus
highly technical or medical
文法句型
sexual intercourse
have intercourse with
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable and used without an article. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'sexual intercourse' and the verb pattern 'have intercourse with someone'.
常見錯誤
2. talking and dealing with other people or groups, especially in a social, diploma
talking and dealing with other people or groups, especially in a social, diplomatic, or commercial way; an old-fashioned use that today is mostly found in older books.
In the eighteenth century, regular intercourse between merchants helped many small ports grow rich.
intercourse between X — formal/historical use
The diary describes the writer's daily intercourse with neighbours in the small village.
collocation: intercourse with people
After the war, the two countries slowly resumed diplomatic and commercial intercourse.
The professor warned the students that modern readers easily misread 'intercourse' when it appears in a Jane Austen novel.
- communication
neutral modern equivalent
- dealings
stresses practical or business contact
- exchange
stresses the back-and-forth of ideas or goods
- isolation
having no contact with others
文法句型
intercourse between X and Y
intercourse with
用法筆記
Strongly old-fashioned in modern English; nearly all everyday uses now mean sense 1. Distinguish from sense 1 by context: pairs with 'social', 'commercial', 'diplomatic', or 'between [groups]'.