madam

noun mad·am \ ˈma-dəm \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of madam

plural madams

1 a plural mesdames play \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 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 Chairman

Madam 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

See madam defined for English-language learners

See madam defined for kids

Examples of madam in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of madam from the Web

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
The series follows Margaret Wells (Samantha Morton), a madam in an eighteenth-century London brothel and focuses on the tension between the brothels and new religious reformation ideas.

— kelly lawler, USA TODAY, "The 10 best British period dramas to watch right now," 12 Apr. 2018
Madame Claude, born Fernande Grudet on July 6, 1923, in Angers, France, was one of the world’s most successful madams.

— larry getlen, Fox News, "Inside JFK's door-to-door search for a French call girl -- and why she had to look like Jackie," 24 May 2018
Maeve's doppelbot is a Geisha madam named Akane (Kikuchi) who shares Maeve's physical skills, smarts and maternal instincts, this time for a young geisha named Sakura (Kiki Sukezane).

— kelly lawler, USA TODAY, "'Westworld' recap: A trip to Shogun World makes Episode 5 the best this season," 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.

Origin and Etymology of madam

Middle English, from Anglo-French ma dame, literally, my lady

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

madam Synonyms

Synonyms

lady, missus (or missis), Mrs., old lady, wife;

Related Words

bride;

better half, companion, consort, mate, partner, significant other, soul mate, spouse;

dowager, matron;

hausfrau, homemaker, housewife;

widow;

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous

MADAM Defined for English Language Learners

madam

noun

Definition of madam for English Language Learners

—used to politely speak to a woman who you do not know
Madam —used at the start of a formal letter to a woman whose name you do not know
Madam —used when you are speaking to a woman who has a high rank or position

MADAM Defined for Kids

madam

noun mad·am \ ˈma-dəm \

Definition of madam for Students

plural mesdames \mā-ˈdäm, -ˈdam\

—used without a name as a form of polite address to a woman

May I help you, madam?

Headscratcher for madam

The word madam is spelled the same forwards and backwards. It is also part of a well-known phrase that is also spelled the same forwards and backwards: “Madam, I'm Adam.”