Definition of sir
1a : 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 priestb : a man of rank or position
2a —used as a usually respectful form of addressb capitalized —used as a conventional form of address in the salutation of a letter
People Are Reading
Recent Examples of sir from the Web
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But these are not ordinary times, and you, sir, are anything but an ordinary man.
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Good day sir-- Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 26, 2017 Williams' 23 singles and 14 doubles Grand Slam titles are record-breaking; the nearest male tennis player in Grand Slam wins is Roger Federer, with 18 Slams in singles competition.
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Good day sir— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 26, 2017 While McEnroe did praise Serena, the qualifier of the compliment along with a pointless hypothetical scenario appeared to grab Williams' attention.
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Senator King, as always sir, thank you for coming on and sharing your views.
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On one of these plays, J. R. Smith stepped out of the way, as if to say, go right ahead, sir, enjoy yourself.
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It’s also possible SIR-Spheres may help patients with a form of cancer that starts in the bile duct, for whom there is a dearth of effective treatments, said UBS’s Goodsall, who rates Sirtex a buy.
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Senator Bob Corker, Republican from Tennessee, thanks for coming on, sharing your views, sir.
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Mayor Landrieu, welcome back to Meet the Press, sir.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sir.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of sir
Middle English, from sire
SIR Defined for English Language Learners
sir
playDefinition of sir for English Language Learners
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—used without a name as a form of polite address to a man of rank or authority (such as a military or police officer, teacher, or master)
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Sir —used without a name as a form of address at the beginning of a formal letter
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Sir —used as a title before the name of a knight or baronet
SIR Defined for Kids
sir
playDefinition of sir for Students
1 —used without a name as a form of polite address to a man May I help you, sir?
2 cap —used as a title before the given name of a knight or a baronet Sir Walter Raleigh
3 cap —used without a name as a form of address at the beginning of a letter
Learn More about sir
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See words that rhyme with sir Spanish Central: Translation of sir Nglish: Translation of sir for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sir for Arabic speakers
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