First Lady

noun

variants or first lady

plural First Ladies or first ladies

1

: the wife or female partner of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction

It is a reminder of just how peculiar the role of First Lady is in American public life. She has a job with no salary, a platform with no power, an East Wing filled with staff but no budget.

—Jonathan Van Meter

As a supermodel, singer-songwriter, and former first lady of France, no one has had a career quite like Carla Bruni. Since her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, left office in 2012, Bruni has focused on her music.

—Janelle Okwodu

also : someone who is not the wife or female partner of a chief executive but who fulfills the public duties of a First Lady

Unique among First Ladies, Harriet Lane acted as hostess for the only President who never married: James Buchanan, her favorite uncle and her guardian after she was orphaned at the age of eleven.

—Allida Black

2

: the leading woman of an art or profession

Back before Mobb Deep, before the whole Juice Crew, the first MC to blow up big out of the Bridge was hip hop's universally recognized First Lady, Roxanne Shanté.

—Sacha Jenkins

Carolyn Wells is the first lady of barbecue—alongside her late husband Gary Wells and friend Rick Welch, the three founded the Kansas City Barbeque Society in 1986.

—Damian Dominguez

Examples of First Lady in a Sentence

The President and the First Lady attended the concert.

the first lady of American dance

Recent Examples on the Web

Schake has held key senior roles in government, including communications director for First Lady Michelle Obama and deputy communications director for Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025

Shapiro gave an emotional public statement Tuesday alongside his wife, state First Lady Lori Shapiro, explaining that the attack has left lasting scars on his family. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025

Think President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, Walter and Lenore Annenberg, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, and William Goetz, just to name a few. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025

After all, ghosts of presidents past have been said to appear at the White House, and former First Lady Dolley Madison is rumored to host ghostly receptions at the Octagon House. —Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for First Lady

• arcady
• landlady
• cady
• shady
• zaidi

Kids Definition

first lady

noun

often capitalized F&L

: the wife, female partner, or hostess of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction