maître d'
noun
maî·tre d'
ˌmā-trə-ˈdē 
ˌme-,
-tər-
variants
or maitre d'
plural maître d's or maitre d's
ˌmā-trə-ˈdēz
ˌme-,
-tər-
Did you know?
Maître d' is short for maître d'hôtel, which comes from French and literally means "master of the house." Maître d'hôtel was used in English for a head butler or steward of a household before it referred to the head of a dining-room staff. For the record, the plural of maître d'hôtel is maîtres d'hôtel whereas the plural of maître d' is maître d's.
Examples of maître d' in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition, Bruce Felts of Mad Nice Detroit will serve as sommelier, and restaurateur Jeremy Sasson of Heirloom Hospitality (Mad Nice, Prime + Proper, Townhouse) will be the evening's maitre d'.
—
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
Brown was a maitre d' in a Chicago restaurant.
—Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, 11 July 2020
Trust maitre d' Massimiliano to point you in the direction of the day's best catch; and trust his parents, Ruggero and Lucia, to cook it to perfection.
—Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2021
The maitre d' is heard explaining that the menu starts at 160 euros ($190) per person.
—Saskya Vandoorne and Rob Picheta, CNN, 6 Apr. 2021
Minasian and Karl Uecker, a maitre d', were responsible for escorting Kennedy through the hotel kitchen immediately after winning the California primary.
—Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2021
Mars has said the face was originally modeled after a Chicago maitre d' named Frank Brown.
—Alexandra Olson, chicagotribune.com, 24 Sep. 2020
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
Brown was a maitre d' in a Chicago restaurant.
—Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, 11 July 2020
Trust maitre d' Massimiliano to point you in the direction of the day's best catch; and trust his parents, Ruggero and Lucia, to cook it to perfection.
—Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2021
The maitre d' is heard explaining that the menu starts at 160 euros ($190) per person.
—Saskya Vandoorne and Rob Picheta, CNN, 6 Apr. 2021
Minasian and Karl Uecker, a maitre d', were responsible for escorting Kennedy through the hotel kitchen immediately after winning the California primary.
—Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2021
Mars has said the face was originally modeled after a Chicago maitre d' named Frank Brown.
—Alexandra Olson, chicagotribune.com, 24 Sep. 2020
Dictionary Entries Near maître d'
Cite this Entry
“Maître d'.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ma%C3%AEtre%20d%27. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share