Mrs.

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

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.

Synonyms

• helpmate
• helpmeet
• lady
• madam
• missus
• missis
• old lady
• wife
• wifey
• woman [chiefly dialect]

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

Nicole La Ha, who parlayed the title of Mrs. America 2022 into a successful run as Illinois State Representative in the 82nd District, is among the participants. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 7 June 2025

The film stars David Corenswet (Hollywood) in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult (The Great) as Lex Luthor — the supervillain Rosenbaum of course played in TV’s Smallville. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 June 2025

Les Twins have collaborated with Beyoncé on numerous occasions, dancing alongside her on her major stages, including the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013 and the Renaissance World Tour in 2023. —Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 6 June 2025

The cast of Étoile includes Mrs. Maisel alums Kirby and Gideon Glick, Charlotte Gainsbourg, de Laâge in her first English-speaking role, David Alvarez, Ivan du Pontavice, Taïs Vinolo, David Haig, LaMay Zhang, and Simon Callow. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 June 2025

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

Kids Definition

Mrs.

noun

ˌmis-əz 

-əs,

 especially Southern  ˌmiz-əz,

-əs,

 or  (ˌ)miz

plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm 

-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