1
old-fashioned + literary
: 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
Examples of maiden in a Sentence
a story about a courageous knight who rescues a fair maiden
a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father
Recent Examples on the Web
Across two stints, Magnussen made 185 starts in Formula One and raced for McLaren, Renault and Haas, recording a career-best runner-up finish in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix — his maiden start in F1.
—
Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Many fans thought the original covers of Pratchett’s novels went too heavy on busty maidens and strapping men with big swords, undermining their literary merit, and a similar problem has beset the various screen adaptations from Sky and the BBC.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Last year’s inaugural race — held on Carb Day, the final day of practice before the Indianapolis 500 — featured six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles racing around the Brickyard, with Slaw Dog claiming the maiden victory.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Fognini reached top 10 in the world in 2019 and won the 2015 Australian Open men's doubles tournament, while Pennetta won her maiden singles Grand Slam at the 2015 US Open.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maiden
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Many fans thought the original covers of Pratchett’s novels went too heavy on busty maidens and strapping men with big swords, undermining their literary merit, and a similar problem has beset the various screen adaptations from Sky and the BBC.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Last year’s inaugural race — held on Carb Day, the final day of practice before the Indianapolis 500 — featured six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles racing around the Brickyard, with Slaw Dog claiming the maiden victory.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Fognini reached top 10 in the world in 2019 and won the 2015 Australian Open men's doubles tournament, while Pennetta won her maiden singles Grand Slam at the 2015 US Open.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maiden
Cite this Entry
“Maiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maiden. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maiden
1 of 2 noun
maid·en
ˈmād-ᵊn 
: a young unmarried girl or woman
maidenhood
noun
-ˌhu̇d
maidenly
adjective
-lē
maiden
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: not married
maiden aunt
2
: of or relating to a maiden
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
