condom

condom — noun

1. a thin cover made of latex that a person puts onto the penis before having sex.

1.nounB1
Definition

a thin cover made of latex that a person puts onto the penis before having sex. It prevents pregnancy and lowers the risk of passing on infections spread through sexual contact.

Example

Mauricio always keeps a condom in his wallet, just to be safe.

collocation: keep a condom / use a condom

The nurse showed the students how to put on a condom correctly.

collocation: put on a condom

Common collocations
  • wear a condom
  • use a condom
  • put on a condom
  • condom breaks
  • condom slips off
Synonyms
  • rubber

    informal term, common in US English

  • prophylactic

    formal, used mainly in medical contexts

Grammar Patterns

use + condom

wear + condom

Usage Note

Common verbs paired with this sense are 'wear', 'use', 'put on', and 'take off'. The object of the preposition is a body part: 'put a condom on his penis'.

Common Mistakes

He put a condom on to him.
He put a condom on his penis.
The preposition 'on' directly introduces the body part; 'to' is never used.

2. a soft, flexible tube that a woman places inside her vagina before sexual activi

2.nounB2
Definition

a soft, flexible tube that a woman places inside her vagina before sexual activity. It works like a male condom — it prevents pregnancy and reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections.

Example

Ife learned to insert a female condom from a demonstration at the health centre.

collocation: insert a female condom

Some couples choose a female condom because it gives the woman more control over protection.

Common collocations
  • insert a female condom
  • use a female condom
  • female condom slips out
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

insert + female condom

use + female condom

Common Mistakes

She wore a female condom on her vagina.
She inserted a female condom into her vagina.
Female condoms are inserted, not worn like clothes.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Condom is the standard, neutral term understood across all English-speaking regions. Rubber is very common in informal US speech — you might hear 'grab a rubber' in a casual conversation, but it would sound out of place in a doctor's office. Prophylactic is a formal, medical label you would see on packaging or in a clinic brochure; ordinary speakers rarely use it. Sheath is a dated or euphemistic term that appears in older literature or humorous references, not in everyday use. For example: a friend says 'Do you have a rubber?' at a party, a nurse asks 'Do you know how to use a condom?' at a check-up, and a textbook describes 'the use of prophylactics to prevent disease transmission.'

condom ↗rubber ↗prophylacticsheath

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • put on a condom
  • take off a condom
  • condom broke
  • condom slipped off

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The origin of the word 'condom' is unclear, but the most common story links it to a Dr. Condom (or Conton), a physician at the court of King Charles II of England in the 1600s, who supposedly supplied the king with sheath-like protective devices. However, there is no solid evidence that such a person existed. The word may instead come from the Latin 'condus', meaning a container or storage vessel. Either way, the term has been used in English since the early 1700s.