mermaid

noun

mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād 

: a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish

Examples of mermaid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the special day, the bride walked down the aisle in a white satin mermaid dress with a voluminous train. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 2 Aug. 2026

Her first look for the ceremony was a bright white dress with a sheer lace V-neck bodice with an opaque mermaid skirt, per Vogue. — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

There’s also a wave pool, a lazy river, and, throughout the summer, mermaid encounters with swimming sirens. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026

On a beautiful summer day in July, seven-year-old Penelope is turning into a mermaid. — Ava Berger, NPR, 26 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mermayde, from mere sea (from Old English) + mayde maid — more at marine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mermaid

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

mermaid

noun

mer·​maid ˈmər-ˌmād 

: an imaginary sea creature usually represented with a woman's body and a fish's tail

Etymology

Middle English mermayde "mermaid," from mere "lake, pool, sea" and mayde "maid"