SINCE 1828
sir
noun
\ ˈsər
\
\
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 priest
b
: a man of rank or position
2a
—used as a usually respectful form of address
b
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
My romantic sense of the world is strong, yes sir, but it’s no longer tethered to some external source. — Heather Havrilesky, The Cut, "‘My Ex Ruined My Whole College Experience!’," 30 Aug. 2017 MANCHIN: To the best of your knowledge, sir, did any of these following individuals meet with Russian officials at any point during the campaign. — Tina Nguyen, vanityfair.com, "Does Jeff Sessions Have a Memory Problem?," 13 June 2017 But these are not ordinary times, and you, sir, are anything but an ordinary man. — Oliver Gettell, EW.com, "Carl Reiner urges Anthony Kennedy not to retire from Supreme Court," 7 July 2017 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. — Cheryl Wray, AL.com, "Serena Williams responds to John McEnroe's statement that she'd be 'like No. 700' in men's tennis," 26 June 2017 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. — Andrew Joseph, USA TODAY, "Serena Williams hits back at John McEnroe," 26 June 2017 Senator King, as always sir, thank you for coming on and sharing your views. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - June 18, 2017," 18 June 2017 On one of these plays, J. R. Smith stepped out of the way, as if to say, go right ahead, sir, enjoy yourself. — Harvey Araton, New York Times, "Switching, Swarming and Suffocating: Warriors Defense Dominates," 2 June 2017 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. — Matthew Burgess, Bloomberg.com, "Australia's Second Worst-Performing Stock May Have a Silver Lining," 1 June 2017These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for sir
sir
noun
English Language Learners Definition of sir
—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)
—used without a name as a form of address at the beginning of a formal letter
—used as a title before the name of a knight or baronet
See the full definition for sir in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sir
noun
\ ˈsər
\
\
Kids Definition of sir
1
—used without a name as a form of polite address to a man May I help you, sir?
2
capitalized
—used as a title before the given name of a knight or a baronet Sir Walter Raleigh
3
capitalized
—used without a name as a form of address at the beginning of a letter
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on sir
What made you want to look up sir? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words for Summer: A Quiz
-
- Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share sir
Resources for sir