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Definition of lady
1a : 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
3a : 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
4a : wife
b : girlfriend, mistress
5a : 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
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Examples of lady in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Prince Harry probably jokingly told him to stop flirting with his lady. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kids Couldn't Keep Their Hands Off of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Ireland," 11 July 2018 She was also known as an outstanding bridge player among her lady’s bridge clubs in Ft. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 7/1," 1 July 2018 Get inspired by some of our favorite fashionable ladies here and then shop out the style below. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Realisation Par’s Leopard Print Skirt Keeps Selling Out," 28 June 2018 Two new food trucks, one by started by a Qualitas cleaning lady, have sprouted up near the property because there wasn’t anywhere nearby for Qualitas staff and visitors to buy lunch. — Lynn Brezosky, San Antonio Express-News, "Remote Texas algae farm grows a food for the future," 27 June 2018 At the spa, Becca meets up with our favorite ladies from Arie's season — Caroline, Seinne, Kendall, Bekah and Tia — to give six lucky guys manicures and pedicures. — Mallorie Sullivan, Cincinnati.com, "'The Bachelorette': NFL free agent Clay Harbor somehow hurts himself playing football," 11 June 2018 My new lady is 19 years my junior, which won’t help the situation. — Abigail Van Buren, Houston Chronicle, "Military marriage suffers from frequent separation," 5 June 2018 Friday night lights for our ladies at @freedom_prep_memphis . — Christopher Dawson, CNN, "Rugby transforms Memphis teens' lives," 29 May 2018 Its leading ladies, Maeve and Dolores, are flush with power. — Sandra Upson, WIRED, "Westworld Recap, Season 2 Episode 5: More Dead Than Alive," 21 May 2018These 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.
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Learn More about lady
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Using 'Lady,' 'Woman,' and 'Female' to...
Using 'Lady,' 'Woman,' and 'Female' to Modify Nouns
'Female' doctor? 'Lady' lawyer? 'Woman' politician? Are any of these not offensive?
7 Downton Abbey Terms Americans Are Not...
7 Downton Abbey Terms Americans Are Not Familiar With
Just How Important is an Earl?
Dictionary Entries near lady
Statistics for lady
Last Updated
3 Sep 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for lady
The first known use of lady was before the 12th century
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More Definitions for lady
lady
noun
English Language Learners Definition of lady
: a woman who behaves in a polite way
: a woman of high social position
: a man's girlfriend
See the full definition for lady in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lady
noun
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Kids Definition of lady
1 : a woman of high social position
2 : a woman or girl who behaves in a polite way
3 : woman sense 1 The lady behind me was first.
4 : wife
5 : a British noblewoman —used as a title Lady Jane Grey
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