ms

1 of 3

abbreviation (1)

millisecond

Ms.

2 of 3

noun

variants US Ms. or British Ms
plural Mss. or Mses. ˈmi-zəz How to pronounce Ms. (audio)
used as a conventional title of courtesy before a woman's surname
My history teacher is Ms. Judson
used instead of Miss or Mrs. (as when the marital status of a woman is unknown or irrelevant)
Ms. Mary Smith
"I think you do want to dispute the fact that you had a difficult childhood," Ms. Johnston told Mrs. Gore, who was silent for several beats, then agreed.Katha Pollitt
But it wasn't until the 1970s that Ms. took its place in the emerging women's liberation movement. It was a heady time for women, and the new prefix represented an important new way for them to define themselves as individuals, rather than in terms of their relationship to men.Carol Toller

MS

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

1
[Italian mano sinistra] left hand
2
manuscript
3
master of science
4
military science
5
Mississippi
6
motor ship
7
multiple sclerosis

Examples of ms in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But in the final hours, Ms. Hochul exerted her leverage, injecting the issue back into budget talks just as the Legislature was seeking concessions on another sensitive matter: protections for tenants. Grace Ashford, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024 She’s joined by Teyonah Parris, one of the breakout stars of 2021’s WandaVision, and Iman Vellani, who anchored 2022’s Ms. Marvel with a heroic level of infectious enthusiasm. The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024 Last year, her husband of nearly three decades, James Goodwin, died and Ms. Goodwin moved to Florida to live with her daughter, Loretta, one of two children born to her and William Morgan in Havana. Michael Sallah, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024 Watch a clip of Ms. Tina Knowles praising Zendaya below. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024 In time, the district envisions the program expanding into other languages, Ms. Hunsaker says. Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2024 For many students like Ms. Ward, community colleges’ flexible academic offerings make college possible. Leah Fabel, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024 On the other hand, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has characters including Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Iron Man and Hulk on its bottles and cans. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024 From the evidence gathered, the conclusion was that Ms. Washburn’s actions violated O.R.C. §3319.141, Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 14.01(H), a number of Board Policies, including 3432 (Sick Leave) and 3210 (Staff Ethics). Jennifer Edwards Baker and Chancelor Winn, The Enquirer, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ms.' 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

Noun

probably blend of Miss and Mrs.

First Known Use

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ms was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near ms

Cite this Entry

“Ms.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ms. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Ms.

noun
plural Mss. or Mses. ˈmiz-əz How to pronounce Ms. (audio)
used instead of Miss or Mrs. (as when it is unknown or unimportant whether the woman addressed is married or single)
Etymology

Noun

probably a combination of Miss and Mrs.

Medical Definition

ms

1 of 2 abbreviation
millisecond

MS

2 of 2 abbreviation
1
mass spectrometry
2
master of science
3
multiple sclerosis

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