plural ladies
often attributive
1
a
: a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior
b
: a woman receiving the homage or devotion of a knight or lover
2
capitalized
: virgin mary
—usually used with Our
3
4
a
: wife
b
5
a
: any of various titled women in Great Britain
—used as the customary title of (1) a marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness or (2) the wife of a knight, baronet, member of the peerage, or one having the courtesy title of lord and used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl
b
: a woman who is a member of an order of knighthood compare dame
Examples of lady in a Sentence
Her mother was always telling her to act like a lady.
He bumped into some lady walking to the bus stop.
He helped a little old lady cross the street.
Recent Examples on the Web
France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, will be the subject of a biopic series produced by French mini-major Gaumont.
—
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden had a federal tax bill of $146,629 for 2023, the White House announced in a statement Monday.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, MacNeil, then the No. 2 White House correspondent for NBC, was in President Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas, sitting in the front row of a press bus about six vehicles behind the limousine in which the president and first lady were riding.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Three of those trees have already been planted on the White House lawn, including one placed by first lady Jill Biden and Kishida’s wife, Yuko, last year.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
With a few exceptions, association with a world leader or first lady tends to make a fashion accessory more popular, not less.
—Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Her grandparents, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, died the following year before the birth of her son, Hal, in 2019.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The chili crunchy stuff with the stern lady on the bottle was the clear winner.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The first lady then headed directly to the Hancock Park home of Dr. Patricia Gordon for a campaign fundraiser event that evening for the Biden Victory Fund, according to the White House.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden had a federal tax bill of $146,629 for 2023, the White House announced in a statement Monday.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, MacNeil, then the No. 2 White House correspondent for NBC, was in President Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas, sitting in the front row of a press bus about six vehicles behind the limousine in which the president and first lady were riding.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Three of those trees have already been planted on the White House lawn, including one placed by first lady Jill Biden and Kishida’s wife, Yuko, last year.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
With a few exceptions, association with a world leader or first lady tends to make a fashion accessory more popular, not less.
—Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Her grandparents, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, died the following year before the birth of her son, Hal, in 2019.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The chili crunchy stuff with the stern lady on the bottle was the clear winner.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The first lady then headed directly to the Hancock Park home of Dr. Patricia Gordon for a campaign fundraiser event that evening for the Biden Victory Fund, according to the White House.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lady.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to lady
Dictionary Entries Near lady
Cite this Entry
“Lady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lady. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lady
noun
la·dy
ˈlād-ē 
plural ladies
1
: a woman of property, rank, or authority
especially
: one having a standing equivalent to that of a lord
—used as a title
2
capitalized
: virgin mary
—usually used with Our
3
: a woman of high social position
4
5
Etymology
Old English hlæfdige, from hlāf "loaf of bread" and -dīge, a form of a root word meaning "to knead dough" — related to loaf, lord see Word History at lord
Word Origin
The word lady is nowadays generally used as a polite term for a woman. In the past, however, lady was used primarily for "a woman of a high social class." The Old English ancestor of lady was hlæfdige, which came from two other words. One was hlāf, meaning "loaf of bread." The other was -dīge, a form of a root word meaning "to knead dough." But the word hlæfdige was not used in Old English for an actual bread maker. It was used instead to refer to the woman in charge of maids and of a household. Only very rich and powerful women, members of the nobility, had maids and large households, so a lady was owed much respect. The title lady is still used in Great Britain for a woman who is a member of the nobility.
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