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
The 86-year-old dame announced that her ninth season, collection 13, which aired in 2025 was her last in early 2026.
—
Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Christie was later made a dame commander of the British Empire; Heyer never received any awards, but her husband was appointed Queen’s Counsel.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Hanoi’s grand dame has since survived bombing raids during the Vietnam War and hosted a who’s who of playwrights, royalty and world leaders.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Along with Elba, this year’s Honors include British comedian, writer, and actor Meera Syal and England women’s football coach Sarina Wiegman, who have been made honorary dames, and British writer Roy Clarke, who was also knighted.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dame
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Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Christie was later made a dame commander of the British Empire; Heyer never received any awards, but her husband was appointed Queen’s Counsel.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Hanoi’s grand dame has since survived bombing raids during the Vietnam War and hosted a who’s who of playwrights, royalty and world leaders.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Along with Elba, this year’s Honors include British comedian, writer, and actor Meera Syal and England women’s football coach Sarina Wiegman, who have been made honorary dames, and British writer Roy Clarke, who was also knighted.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dame
Cite this Entry
“Dame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dame. Accessed 6 Feb. 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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