lady

noun, often attributive la·dy \ ˈlā-dē \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Examples: lady in a Sentence

Definition of lady

plural ladies

1 a : a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior

b : a woman receiving the homage or devotion of a knight or lover

2 capitalized : virgin mary —usually used with Our

3 a : a woman of superior social position

b : a woman of refinement and gentle manners

c : woman, female —often used in a courteous reference

show the lady to a seat

or usually in the plural in address

ladies and gentlemen

4 a : wife

b : girlfriend, mistress

5 a : any of various titled women in Great Britain —used as the customary title of (1) a marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness or (2) the wife of a knight, baronet, member of the peerage, or one having the courtesy title of lord and used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl

b : a woman who is a member of an order of knighthood — compare dame

See lady defined for English-language learners

See lady defined for kids

Examples of lady in a Sentence

Her mother was always telling her to act like a lady.
He bumped into some lady walking to the bus stop.
He helped a little old lady cross the street.

Recent Examples of lady from the Web

In southern culture, ladies simply didn’t do such things—but Rudolph did them anyway.

— kate siber, Outside Online, "How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman," 8 June 2018
On one occasion, Bickerdyke ordered privileged white ladies to drop their petticoats so the muslin could be used to bandage the unwrapped stumps of amputees.

— harold holzer, WSJ, "Burning Down the South," 7 June 2018
After having one too many drinks, a man walked over to a lady and threw up on her.

— joey guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Bar Star: Delphia Lewis at Dreams Bar & Lounge," 6 June 2018
This lady and her very own personal wardrobe adviser, Angela Kelly know their stuff.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Queen Elizabeth Is Wearing Sunglasses and Carrying an Umbrella at Her Garden Party," 31 May 2018
The final team traditionally features 36 ladies and will be officially announced at the end of training camp.

— jay betsill, star-telegram, "Nothing routine about doing routines to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 17 May 2018
The most engaging passage has the least to do with anything: a monologue featuring Manuela Rentea as a charming lady who really, really hates her husband.

— tony adler, Chicago Reader, "Very Still and Hard to See," 10 May 2018
Or even: fancy lady once married to a hot dog eats a hot dog.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Ivana Trump Eats Street Meat on the Upper East Side," 27 Apr. 2018
At Baselworld 2018 there were many highlights, including, but not limited to, the uptick in ladies' tool watches, the Rainbow Daytona, and more solid, consumer-friendly pieces than ever.

— cara barrett, Bloomberg.com, "This Unorthodox Crystal Watch Demands Respect—and a Smile," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lady.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lady

Middle English, from Old English hlǣfdige, from hlāf bread + -dige (akin to dǣge kneader of bread) — more at loaf, dairy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

lady Synonyms

Synonyms

female, woman;

Related Words

dame, gentlewoman;

madam, madame, senora (or señora);

beauty, belle, damsel, gal, girl, ingenue (or ingénue), lass, lassie, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, miss, senorita (or señorita);

LADY Defined for English Language Learners

lady

noun

Definition of lady for English Language Learners

: a woman who behaves in a polite way
: a woman of high social position
: a man's girlfriend

LADY Defined for Kids

lady

noun la·dy \ ˈlā-dē \

Definition of lady for Students

plural ladies

1 : a woman of high social position

2 : a woman or girl who behaves in a polite way

3 : woman 1

The lady behind me was first.

4 : wife

5 : a British noblewoman —used as a title

Lady Jane Grey

History for lady

Lady was actually formed as a compound word, though its nature has been completely disguised by centuries of sound change. The Old English ancestor of lady was hlǣfdige, “female head of the household.” This compound is made up of hlāf, “loaf, bread,” and -dige, which is thought to mean “kneader,” and is akin to Old English dāg, “dough.” Why the “kneader of dough” was thought to be the most important woman in the household we are not quite sure.