maiden

noun

maid·en | \ˈmā-dᵊn

Definition of maiden

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an unmarried girl or woman : maid

2 : a former Scottish beheading device resembling the guillotine (see guillotine sense 1)

3 : a horse that has never won a race

maiden

adjective

Definition of maiden (Entry 2 of 2)

1a(1) : not married a maiden aunt

(2) : virgin

b of a female animal

(1) : never yet mated

(2) : never having borne young

2 : of, relating to, or befitting a maiden

3 : first, earliest a ship's maiden voyage the maiden flight of a spacecraft

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Examples of maiden in a Sentence

Noun

a story about a courageous knight who rescues a fair maiden a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father

Adjective

the maiden issue of a new magazine a politician giving his maiden speech in the Senate

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Jockey: James Graham His only win came as a 2-year-old maiden at seven furlongs. — Neil Greenberg, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Kentucky Derby post draw, odds and picks: Everything you need to know," 1 May 2018 Primitive humans once celebrated May 1 with fertility rituals — think maidens with garlands dancing around a priapic maypole. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "May Day used to be a big deal in Washington. Could it ever be again?," 30 Apr. 2018 More coverage: How Justify went from maiden to Triple Crown winner in 112 days 6th WENEEDTOTALK ran fourth against better last out and posted a solid work here on Sunday. — Mike Battaglia, The Courier-Journal, "Mike Battaglia's free picks and tips for Sunday at Churchill Downs," 16 June 2018 Owner Paul Reddam, paid $375,000 for him, so there are expectations more than breaking his maiden in his eighth start. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! CHRB ready to tackle Golden Gate issue," 12 July 2018 See also: Meet the Louisville bar owner putting a bourbon twist on the traditional tiki drink 8th race DON'T TELL MARGE was extremely impressive breaking her maiden in her first try over the turf course while coming off of an eight-month layoff. — Mike Battaglia, The Courier-Journal, "Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's free picks for Saturday at Churchill Downs," 29 June 2018 Faversham, a full brother to the beloved California Chrome, broke his maiden on Thursday by winning Thursday’s fifth race going a mile on the turf. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Still no clarity on Golden Gate," 22 June 2018 Three races are on the turf, and four races are for maidens. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Final word on the Belmont conspiracy," 14 June 2018 One of my more luminous memories of that odd year, 1974, was a dance performed in Central Park in New York by three long and lissome non-pregnant maidens in white gauze gym suits. — Charles Mccabe, San Francisco Chronicle, "Motherhood???, Charles McCabe, 1975," 14 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Production of components for Vinci flight engines has already begun, and the European launch company still plans for the Ariane 6 rocket to make its maiden flight in 2020. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: SpaceX nabs another contract, Vector cashes in, Vulcan delay," 26 Oct. 2018 His death comes on the cusp of Stratolaunch's most crucial moment, with its enormous Stratolaunch rocket-carrying plane scheduled for its maiden flight as early as the end of 2018. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Paul Allen, Microsoft and Stratolaunch Co-Founder, Dead at 65," 15 Oct. 2018 The plane made its maiden flight for Eastern in 1967 and was a workhorse for its owners. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "Looking to decorate your home? How about the nose of a Boeing 727 or a landing gear?," 29 July 2018 One of those, its maiden flight in 2016, ended with part of its wing breaking off just before landing. — James Rufus Koren, latimes.com, "Facebook gives up on building internet-beaming drones," 27 June 2018 By then, in mid-2016, the MRJ had already made its maiden test flight, an event celebrated in Japan as a landmark in the nation’s plane-building renaissance. — Alastair Gale, WSJ, "The Pressure Is On for Japan’s First Jetliner," 10 July 2018 Only Bob Baffert ever would have conceived such a plan – maiden race, allowance race, Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby from Feb. 18 to May 5. — Dick Jerardi, Philly.com, "Baffert's strategy with Justify pays off with Kentucky Derby win | Dick Jerardi," 5 May 2018 On February 18 of this year, Baffert sent Justify to the post in a seven-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita. — Tim Layden, SI.com, "Trainer Bob Baffert, Justify Jockey Mike Smith Relish a Remarkable Ride Before Belmont Stakes," 6 June 2018 Otherwise, Hofburg's career includes a fourth-place finish in his first outing in September and a one-half-length victory in a maiden race on March 3. — Mark Inabinett, AL.com, "Kentucky Derby 2018: Meet the contenders and watch them run," 30 Apr. 2018

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