1
: a woman of rank, station, or authority: such as
a
archaic
: the mistress of a household
b
: the wife or daughter of a lord
c
: a female member of an order of knighthood
—used as a title prefixed to the given name
Examples of dame in a Sentence
She was made a dame the year before she died.
as the grand dames of local society, they determined which charities received support
Recent Examples on the Web
A week before, legendary makeup dame Pat McGrath presented fashion’s most viral beauty look in history: Maison Margiela Couture’s porcelain dolls.
—
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
The Marbella Club, a Leading Hotel of the World member, is one of those European grand dame hotels that has been a beachfront favorite of Brits for years and is only just now starting to get recognized by Americans as a worthy destination on par with Amalfi Coast and Mykonos.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2024
Here is hoping that the grand dame didn’t sacrifice what easily looks to be the most promising season for the franchise since season five with her shortsighted machinations.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
In response to a question about the Sept. 27 death of longtime friend Maggie Smith, the British dame, 89, reportedly became overcome with emotion at a Cheltenham Literature Festival event on Saturday, Oct. 5.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dame 
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.
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
The Marbella Club, a Leading Hotel of the World member, is one of those European grand dame hotels that has been a beachfront favorite of Brits for years and is only just now starting to get recognized by Americans as a worthy destination on par with Amalfi Coast and Mykonos.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2024
Here is hoping that the grand dame didn’t sacrifice what easily looks to be the most promising season for the franchise since season five with her shortsighted machinations.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024
In response to a question about the Sept. 27 death of longtime friend Maggie Smith, the British dame, 89, reportedly became overcome with emotion at a Cheltenham Literature Festival event on Saturday, Oct. 5.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dame
Dictionary Entries Near dame
Cite this Entry
“Dame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dame. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dame
noun
: a woman of rank, station, or authority: as
a
archaic
: the mistress of a household
b
: the wife or daughter of a lord
c
: a female member of an order of knighthood
—used as a title before a given name
Etymology
Middle English dame "a woman of rank or authority, lady," from early French dame (same meaning), from Latin domina "mistress, lady," feminine form of dominus "master, owner" — related to damsel, dominate, don entry 2, madam, madonna, prima donna
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share