First Lady

noun

variants or first lady

plural First Ladies or first ladies

1

: the wife or female partner of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction

It is a reminder of just how peculiar the role of First Lady is in American public life. She has a job with no salary, a platform with no power, an East Wing filled with staff but no budget.

—Jonathan Van Meter

As a supermodel, singer-songwriter, and former first lady of France, no one has had a career quite like Carla Bruni. Since her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, left office in 2012, Bruni has focused on her music.

—Janelle Okwodu

also : someone who is not the wife or female partner of a chief executive but who fulfills the public duties of a First Lady

Unique among First Ladies, Harriet Lane acted as hostess for the only President who never married: James Buchanan, her favorite uncle and her guardian after she was orphaned at the age of eleven.

—Allida Black

2

: the leading woman of an art or profession

Back before Mobb Deep, before the whole Juice Crew, the first MC to blow up big out of the Bridge was hip hop's universally recognized First Lady, Roxanne Shanté.

—Sacha Jenkins

Carolyn Wells is the first lady of barbecue—alongside her late husband Gary Wells and friend Rick Welch, the three founded the Kansas City Barbeque Society in 1986.

—Damian Dominguez

Examples of First Lady in a Sentence

The President and the First Lady attended the concert.

the first lady of American dance

Recent Examples on the Web

The event, which celebrated the life and music of Cline — who died in a plane crash in March 1963 at age 30 — also included opening remarks by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. —Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

Get The Recipe 06 of 40 Rosalynn Carter's Cheese Ring Celebrate Mama with a favorite recipe of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024

In January, First Lady Jill Biden was in Palm Harbor for a campaign fundraiser. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

On March 5, the Washington Post reported that First Lady Olena Zelenska would not attend President Biden’s speech, because you would be seated next to her. —TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

With five stories, the hotel overlooks downtown Bisbee and has had many famous guests stop by including First Lady Nancy Reagan; Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and John Wayne; and Arizona Sen. John McCain. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024

The president and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, will be meeting with Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and his wife, Yuko Kishida. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

The actress added two quotes from the late First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

Scott Olson/Getty Images President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look up at the partial solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 21, 2017. —Allison Elyse Gualtieri, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

first lady

noun

often capitalized F&L

: the wife or hostess of the male chief executive of a state or nation