madam

noun

mad·am | \ ˈma-dəm

plural madams

Definition of madam

1a plural mesdames\ mā-ˈdäm

, -ˈdam\ : lady —used without a name as a form of respectful or polite address to a woman Right this way, madam.

b Madam —used as a conventional form of address in the salutation of a letter

2 : mistress sense 1 —used as a title formerly with the given name but now with the surname or especially with a designation of rank or office Madam ChairmanMadam President

3 : the female head of a house of prostitution

4 : the female head of a household : wife every once in a while the madam and I will order a book that we've read about— H. S. Truman

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about madam

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Examples of madam in a Sentence

the madam and I are planning to go out for a nice dinner on our anniversary

Recent Examples on the Web

The first follows newlyweds expecting their first child, the second a brash older madam on a green bicycle. — Sarah Neilson, The Seattle Times, "Ilya Kaminsky’s ‘Deaf Republic’ challenges and incites," 29 Mar. 2019 Davis spent four months in New York's Riker's Island prison for running a prostitution ring with 10,000 clients, which the former madam has claimed included the discgraced ex-Gov. — Nicole Darrah, Fox News, "'Manhattan Madam' Kristin Davis reveals what Mueller grand jury asked her in Russia probe," 20 Aug. 2018 In this April 27, 2018, photo, owner Dennis Hof, left, jokes with madam Sonja Bandolik at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nev. — chicagotribune.com, "Brothel bans weighed in Nevada as legal pimp runs for office," 11 June 2018 The play, about a 19th-century madam who ran a successful brothel in the area, had been researched and written by inmates at the Indiana Women's Prison. — Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "With Bryan Fonseca's new theater, the near west is growing into a major arts hub," 23 June 2018 Sonja Bandolik, the brothel's 58-year-old madam who also works as a prostitute, said women there sign a contract for at least two weeks — enough time to get a background check and prostitution license from the local sheriff. — chicagotribune.com, "Brothel bans weighed in Nevada as legal pimp runs for office," 11 June 2018 Sonja Bandolik, the brothel’s 58-year-old madam who also works as a prostitute, said women there sign a contract for at least two weeks — enough time to get a background check and prostitution license from the local sheriff. — Time, "A Brothel Owner Is Running for Office in Nevada as a Republican," 11 June 2018 At separate ends of town, two buxom madams and their bevies of painted, frilled and scandalously clad ladies welcomed miners and threw lavish parties. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Historic California Ghost Town Is Up For Sale," 16 June 2018 Unlike Dolores, Maeve was programmed with an edge, but she was also programmed as a natural leader, a madam who looked out for her charges and was constantly under siege from (scripted) robberies. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Westworld: A Cut Above," 20 May 2018

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