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
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
As face-lifts go, the $40 million spent to transform this 1891 Melbourne grand dame into a cool city chick has proved to be well spent.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
The gleaming Art Deco grand dame has anchored downtown since the 1930s after being manufactured in New Jersey and shipped to Minnesota by rail.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026
The pas de deux between Billy and Kris is entrancingly sexy, and the film’s love relationship to movie magic is just as romantic, from Anderson’s grand-dame costuming to the matte paintings that serve as backdrops in both the film-within-the-film and the one containing it.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 May 2026
Confined to a wheelchair following two hip replacements, Taylor — who was made a dame in 2000 by Prime Minister Tony Blair — survived surgery for a benign brain tumor in 1997 and also suffered bouts of pneumonia, scoliosis and congestive heart failure.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dame
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
The gleaming Art Deco grand dame has anchored downtown since the 1930s after being manufactured in New Jersey and shipped to Minnesota by rail.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026
The pas de deux between Billy and Kris is entrancingly sexy, and the film’s love relationship to movie magic is just as romantic, from Anderson’s grand-dame costuming to the matte paintings that serve as backdrops in both the film-within-the-film and the one containing it.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 May 2026
Confined to a wheelchair following two hip replacements, Taylor — who was made a dame in 2000 by Prime Minister Tony Blair — survived surgery for a benign brain tumor in 1997 and also suffered bouts of pneumonia, scoliosis and congestive heart failure.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dame
Cite this Entry
“Dame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dame. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dame
noun
: 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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
