Mrs.

Q: What is the plural of 'Mr.'?

The plural of Mr. is Messrs. There is a reason for this seemingly incongruous change : were one to simply add an s to the end of Mr. it would be indistinguishable from the honorific for a married woman, and so the plural is made by shortening the plural form of the French word for Misters ( Messieurs ).

Q: What is the plural of 'Mrs.'?

The plural of Mrs. is Mmes. , a shortening of the French plural Mesdames . English borrowed the French plural for this honorific after adopting Messrs. for the plural of Mr. . This was done because it would have been difficult to otherwise distinguish Mr. from Mrs. had we formed the plural by simply adding an s to it.

Q: How do you pluralize 'Ms.' and 'Miss'?

Miss (an unmarried woman or girl) is pluralized as Misses . Ms. (a woman for whom the marital status is either unknown or irrelevant) may be pluralized as either Mss. or Mses.

noun

ˈmi-səz

-səs,

especially Southern ˈmi-zəz,

-zəs,

or in rapid speech in sense 1 (ˌ)miz,

or before given names (ˌ)mis

variants US Mrs. or British Mrs

plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm

-ˈdam

Synonyms of Mrs. next

—used as a conventional title of courtesy except when usage requires the substitution of a title of rank or an honorific or professional title before a married woman's surname

spoke to Mrs. Doe

—used before the name of a place (such as a country or city) or of a profession or activity (such as a sport) or before some epithet (such as clever) to form a title applied to a married woman viewed or recognized as representative of the thing indicated

Mrs. Golf

: wife

left with the Mrs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the plural of Mr.?

The plural of Mr. is Messrs. There is a reason for this seemingly incongruous change: were one to simply add an s to the end of Mr. it would be indistinguishable from the honorific for a married woman, and so the plural is made by shortening the plural form of the French word for Misters (Messieurs).

What is the plural of Mrs.?

The plural of Mrs. is Mmes., a shortening of the French plural Mesdames. English borrowed the French plural for this honorific after adopting Messrs. for the plural of Mr.. This was done because it would have been difficult to otherwise distinguish Mr. from Mrs. had we formed the plural by simply adding an s to it.

How do you pluralize Ms. and Miss?

Miss (an unmarried woman or girl) is pluralized as Misses. Ms. (a woman for whom the marital status is either unknown or irrelevant) may be pluralized as either Mss. or Mses.

Examples of Mrs. in a Sentence

“How nice to see you! How's the Mrs.?” inquired the charming older gentleman

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, one of the many pleasures of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is its guest stars, several of whom are in serious contention for a spot in this category. —

EW.com, 24 May 2024 From the white cashmere swathed heroines of Nancy Meyers movies to iconic MILFs like Mrs. Robinson or Stifler’s mom in American Pie, mothers have long been shown to have moments of seduction and lust, though often caricatured or played for comedic effect. —

Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024 The exciting announcement came a few months after becoming Mrs. Sofia Grainge. —

Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024 Take the recent controversy over the U.S. flag flown upside down at the home of Justice and Mrs. Alito. —

Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 23 May 2024 How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay The hotel is a member of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a global network of notable boutique properties. —

Brad Japhe, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2024 Former President Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton attended their 2015 wedding in New Haven, Conn., where Mrs. Clinton delivered a reading. —

Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 20 May 2024 Earlier this month, Foster wrapped up her run as Mrs. Lovett in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opposite Aaron Tveit. —

Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 17 May 2024 Districts 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the Bronx have also asked Mrs. Conover to manage a derby for their schools. —

Bernard Mokam Gabriela Bhaskar, New York Times, 11 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Mrs..' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Mrs. abbreviation of mistress; Mesdames from French, plural of Madame

First Known Use

circa 1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of Mrs. was circa 1574

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mrs..” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mrs.. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

Mrs.

noun

ˌmis-əz

-əs,

especially Southern ˌmiz-əz,

-əs,

or (ˌ)miz

plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm

-ˈdam

—used as a title before a married woman's last name

—used to form a title for a woman who represents the thing indicated

Mrs. Clever

Mrs. Golf

Etymology

an abbreviation of mistress

Medical Definition

MRS

abbreviation

magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Last Updated: 28 May 2024 - Updated example sentences

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Mrs.

noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Synonyms

Examples of Mrs. in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near Mrs.

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition