Mrs.

noun

ˈmi-səz How to pronounce Mrs. (audio)
-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 How to pronounce Mrs. (audio)
-ˈdam
1
a
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
b
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
2
: 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 See the full top 10, also featuring music from Will Trent, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and One Day, below. Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024 For that matter, Succession, Barry, and Mrs. Maisel are all original concepts, and while Ted Lasso is technically adapting a handful of NBC Sports commercials, the people who made those ads co-created and/or starred in the show. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 The production, which is currently starring Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!, Fox’s Grease: Live) as Sweeney Todd and Sutton Foster (Younger, The Music Man) as Mrs. Lovett, will close on May 5, as the two leads end their 12-week run in the show. Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 In her show notes, Mrs. Prada said that her collection was an exploration of clothes from children to adulthood and, in particular, notions of girlishness. Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Williamson made his directorial debut in 1999 with Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Scarlett Johansson – otherwise known as Mrs. Colin Jost – made a cameo appearance during the show’s cold open, playing Alabama Sen. Katie Britt in her much-talked about GOP rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday. Dan Heching, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Written by Coppola, Priscilla never dismisses the complex nature of the young Mrs. Presley’s feelings. Yolanda MacHado, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 At the Thompson Hotel in Dallas, the spring and fall series of Mahjong and Martini Mondays are reservation only — and hosted by Stephanie Brink, otherwise known as The Marvelous Mrs. Mahjong. Kinsey Gidicl, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 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

Dictionary Entries Near Mrs.

Cite this Entry

“Mrs..” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mrs.. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Mrs.

noun
ˌmis-əz How to pronounce Mrs. (audio)
-əs,
 especially Southern  ˌmiz-əz,
-əs,
 or  (ˌ)miz
plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm How to pronounce Mrs. (audio)
-ˈdam
1
used as a title before a married woman's last name
2
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: - Updated example sentences
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