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
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
Dancing on Ice stars and 1984 Gold medalists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were made a dame and knight respectively for their charity work too.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
McKnight often plays the role of the dame, dressing up in drag.
—Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 27 Dec. 2025
Best Hotels & Resorts Sina Brufani The city’s grand dame, Sina Brufani, was established in 1884, and staying there feels like stepping into a time capsule.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dame
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Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
Dancing on Ice stars and 1984 Gold medalists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were made a dame and knight respectively for their charity work too.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
McKnight often plays the role of the dame, dressing up in drag.
—Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 27 Dec. 2025
Best Hotels & Resorts Sina Brufani The city’s grand dame, Sina Brufani, was established in 1884, and staying there feels like stepping into a time capsule.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 16 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 7 Jan. 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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