sir

noun

ˈsər

Synonyms of sir next

: a man entitled to be addressed as sir

—used as a title before the given name of a knight or baronet and formerly sometimes before the given name of a priest

: a man of rank or position

—used as a usually respectful form of address

capitalized

—used as a conventional form of address in the salutation of a letter

Examples of sir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That ‘sir or ma’am’ gave me so much, because bluster [in action movie heroes] was the order of the day and this was the opposite. —

James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Aug. 2023 Thank you sir for owning up to prejudices & sayin ... —

Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 29 June 2023 Yes sir, life is good in the desert, where fans are returning to Chase Field to root for the home team again. —

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 5 June 2023 If Johnson senior receives his knighthood and becomes a sir, this won’t technically fit the nepo baby framework. —

Howard Murphy, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2023 None of that decadent froufrou for us Americans, no sir; the Eurosport breathes through a Rochester two-barrel carburetor, and the mixture flows from carburetor to manifold unvexed by any little whirling rotors or impellers. —

David E. Davis Jr., Car and Driver, 30 Jan. 2023 Almost instantaneously after Broadway’s Funny Girl announced that Beanie Feldstein will leave the production this September, people have shot out of their seats to announce that their own personal Christine Daaés could sing it, sir! —

Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 June 2022 Thank you for coming on and sharing your perspective, sir. —

NBC News, 27 Nov. 2022 If you’ve been known to meticulously adjust the bedroom thermostat, this sleeping bag is for you, good sir. —

Mike Richard, Men's Health, 18 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from sire

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of sir was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sir. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sir

noun

(ˈ)sər

: a man having the right to be addressed as sir

—used as a title before the given name of a knight or baronet

: a title of respect used in addressing a man without using his name

Etymology

Middle English sir "a man of rank or position," from sire "a father," from early French sire "lord, superior," from Latin senior (adjective) "older, elder" — related to senior