headmistress

noun

head·​mis·​tress ˈhed-ˌmi-strəs How to pronounce headmistress (audio)
-ˈmi-
: a woman heading the staff of a private school

Examples of headmistress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
McGonagall is a transfiguration professor, but also the head of Gryffindor House and deputy headmistress under Albus Dumbledore. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025 As villainous headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Emma Thompson was tasked with hurling students, but no child actors were harmed during the tossing scenes, which were filmed with the help of a professional hammer thrower. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 7 May 2025 Buy Now 12 of 15 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl Precocious bookworms everywhere found a kindred spirit in Matilda, a little girl with neglectful parents and a loving teacher who takes on a terrorizing headmistress with her special powers. Lizz Schumer, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024 The headmistress of her school created bizarre ways to segregate her from the rest of the students, and when Kitty rebelled against these rules, she was expelled. Rebekah Taussig, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headmistress

Word History

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headmistress was in 1730

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Cite this Entry

“Headmistress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headmistress. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

headmistress

noun
head·​mis·​tress -ˌmis-trəs How to pronounce headmistress (audio)
-ˈmis-
: a female head of a private school

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