dame

noun

ˈdām 

1

: a woman of rank, station, or authority: such as

a

archaic : the mistress of a household

b

: the wife or daughter of a lord

c

: a female member of an order of knighthood

—used as a title prefixed to the given name

2

a

informal : an elderly woman : matron

b

US slang, old-fashioned : woman

a classy dame

Synonyms

• dowager
• grande dame
• matriarch
• matron

Examples of dame in a Sentence

She was made a dame the year before she died.

as the grand dames of local society, they determined which charities received support

Recent Examples on the Web

Where to Stay The Fairmont Empress in Victoria is the grand dame of the island’s hotels. —Zoe Baillargeon, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023

Look, Broadway’s had some great dames tread its boards. —Vulture, 30 Oct. 2023

Later on that evening at the Musée National Picasso-Paris, Anna Wintour, who is a dame as well as a French Knight of the Legion of Honor, presented Valli with his own knighthood for his contribution to the world of the arts. —Allyson Portee, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2023

Located in the village of Torno on the lake’s southeastern shore, the sleek walnut-and-stone building by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola stands out among the Como grand dames. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2023

Montgomery has also hired a snappy dame — auburn-haired Anne Riordan — who runs an all-female detective agency. —Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023

One risky plant is dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a biennial with showy flowers in shades of white to purple, which is often mistaken for garden phlox (Phlox paniculata). —Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2023

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea Making her stage debut, the dame of deadpan, Aubrey Plaza, will star opposite Christopher Abbott in John Patrick Shanley’s classic down-and-out love story this October at the Lucille Lortel Theater in the West Village. —Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2023

As his acceptance of Anne Riordan as a fellow professional suggests, this Marlowe recognizes that women can be more than just dangerous dames or helpless frails. —Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin domina, feminine of dominus master; akin to Latin domus house — more at dome

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dame

• dame school
• dame's rocket
• grande dame

• dame school
• dame's rocket
• grande dame

Kids Definition

dame

noun

ˈdām 

: a woman of rank, station, or authority: as

a

archaic : the mistress of a household

b

: the wife or daughter of a lord

c

: a female member of an order of knighthood

—used as a title before a given name

Etymology

Middle English dame "a woman of rank or authority, lady," from early French dame (same meaning), from Latin domina "mistress, lady," feminine form of dominus "master, owner" — related to damsel, dominate, don entry 2, madam, madonna, prima donna