lady-in-waiting

noun

la·​dy-in-wait·​ing ˈlā-dē-in-ˈwā-tiŋ 

plural ladies-in-waiting

: a lady of a queen's or a princess's household appointed to wait on her

Examples of lady-in-waiting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Earl of Nithsdale broke out of the Tower of London by dressing as a lady-in-waiting and slipping past the guards. — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Sarah served as one of Diana’s ladies-in-waiting, and their children played together. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 29 July 2026

Her grandmother Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and her brother-in-law Lord Robert Fellowes worked in the royal household, eventually rising to the role of Queen Elizabeth's private secretary. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026

Queen Mary had four devoted ladies-in-waiting. — Miranda Seymour, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lady-in-waiting

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating

Kids Definition

lady-in-waiting

noun

la·​dy-in-wait·​ing

ˌlād-ē-in-ˈwāt-iŋ

plural ladies-in-waiting

: a lady appointed to attend or wait on a queen or princess