maid

noun \ ˈmād \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of maid

1 : an unmarried girl or woman especially when young : virgin

2 a : maidservant

b : a woman or girl employed to do domestic work

See maid defined for English-language learners

See maid defined for kids

Examples of maid in a Sentence

She hired a maid to do the cleaning.
hired a maid to do the housework after the baby was born

Recent Examples of maid from the Web

The story, written by Mark Medoff, follows speech therapist James Leeds (Joshua Jackson) who falls for a deaf maid named Sarah Norman (Lauren Ridloff); both communicate through sign language throughout the show.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Joshua Jackson, Lauren Ridloff, and More at the Opening Night of Children of a Lesser God," 12 Apr. 2018
Children of a Lesser God, a play about a man falling in love with a maid, stars Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff, whose characters explore their blossoming relationship.

— mark burka, GQ, "Children of a Lesser God," 12 Apr. 2018
Her family grew worried about the maid from the Philippines who had moved to Kuwait to support them.

— Fox News, "Couple sentenced to death after maid's body found in freezer," 3 Apr. 2018
There have also been complaints about the treatment of Filipino maids overseas.

— rina chandran, The Christian Science Monitor, "As climate change worsens, more Filipino women migrate," 30 Mar. 2018
Black women provided an opportunity for lower-middle-class white women to have the splendor of a maid without the lavish price tag.

— ashley nkadi, The Root, "Domestic Workers: The Women Who Raised America," 27 Mar. 2018
These were probably the last African-Americans — other than live-in maids, cooks and chauffeurs — to reside in these neighborhoods, segregated for a half century by deed covenants.

— darryl levings, kansascity, "From swampy to swanky, the Country Club Plaza is born | The Kansas City Star," 23 Mar. 2018
Sleeping on a roll-out bed not far from the elevator, the attendant can arrange and deliver meals and, when guests check out, doubles as the maid.

— scott craven, azcentral, "Grand Canyon Caverns: Arizona's deepest, darkest hotel room," 5 Mar. 2018
Fiordiligi and Dorabella are well-bred, upper-crust young women on holiday, attended by their worldly wise maid, Despina.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Lyric revival of Mozart's romantic comedy 'Cosi Fan Tutte' touches the heart," 18 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of maid

Middle English maide, short for maiden

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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maid Synonyms

Synonyms

damsel, demoiselle, girl, maiden, miss;

Related Words

virgin;

deb, debutante, ingenue (or ingénue);

filly, lass, lassie, sister;

colleen, mademoiselle, senorita (or señorita);

MAID Defined for English Language Learners

maid

noun

Definition of maid for English Language Learners

: a female servant; especially : a woman or girl who does cleaning work in a house or hotel
: a girl or woman who is not married

MAID Defined for Kids

maid

noun \ ˈmād \

Definition of maid for Students

1 : ¹maiden

2 : a female servant

Learn More about maid

See words that rhyme with maid Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for maid Spanish Central: Translation of maid Nglish: Translation of maid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of maid for Arabic speakers

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maid

Definition of maid

Examples of maid in a Sentence

Recent Examples of maid from the Web

Origin and Etymology of maid

maid Synonyms

Synonyms

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MAID Defined for English Language Learners

maid

Definition of maid for English Language Learners

MAID Defined for Kids

maid

Definition of maid for Students

Learn More about maid

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Origin and Etymology of maid

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MAID Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of maid for English Language Learners

MAID Defined for Kids

maid

Definition of maid for Students

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