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 The flowers were presented to Mrs. Robinson by Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and Mets legend Mookie Wilson. —

Melissa Noel, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024 The actor and Greenlights author attributes his success, his confidence, and, yes, his Southern manners to Mrs. Kay McConaughey. —

Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024 Thanks to this set-and-forget spray from Mrs. Meyer’s, cleaning your shower is easier than ever: Just give it a quick spritz, walk away, and within a few hours any soap scum, mold, or mildew stains should wipe right off. —

Jenna Ryu, SELF, 17 Apr. 2024 After the voices call for a Court TV-style trial, the daffy matron Mrs. Siezmagraff enacts an entire courtroom scene, playing multiple characters, including a nonexistent Irish housekeeper. —

Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024 Lorene and hard-nosed brothel madam Mrs. Kipfer (Michelle Liu Coughlin) are written pretty close to type, but Mercado and Coughlin breathe appealing life into them. —

Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024 His marriages to Renate Deutsch and Mrs. Braun both ended in divorce. —

Clay Risen, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 Immigrant pioneer Harris Newmark wrote that this nearly broke up the Baer family, because Mrs. Baer was a devoted secessionist. —

Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024 On loan from the Ambassador and Mrs. George L. Argyros Collection of Presidential Art at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the exhibit features portraits of veterans painted by Bush. —

Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 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: 22 Apr 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