Mrs.

noun

ˈmi-səz 

-səs,

 especially Southern  ˈmi-zəz,

-zəs,

 or in rapid speech in sense 1  (ˌ)miz,

 or before given names  (ˌ)mis

variants US Mrs. or British Mrs

plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm 

-ˈdam

1

a

—used as a conventional title of courtesy except when usage requires the substitution of a title of rank or an honorific or professional title before a married woman's surname

spoke to Mrs. Doe

b

—used before the name of a place (such as a country or city) or of a profession or activity (such as a sport) or before some epithet (such as clever) to form a title applied to a married woman viewed or recognized as representative of the thing indicated

Mrs. Golf

2

: wife

left with the Mrs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the plural of Mr.?

The plural of Mr. is Messrs. There is a reason for this seemingly incongruous change: were one to simply add an s to the end of Mr. it would be indistinguishable from the honorific for a married woman, and so the plural is made by shortening the plural form of the French word for Misters (Messieurs).

What is the plural of Mrs.?

The plural of Mrs. is Mmes., a shortening of the French plural Mesdames. English borrowed the French plural for this honorific after adopting Messrs. for the plural of Mr.. This was done because it would have been difficult to otherwise distinguish Mr. from Mrs. had we formed the plural by simply adding an s to it.

How do you pluralize Ms. and Miss?

Miss (an unmarried woman or girl) is pluralized as Misses. Ms. (a woman for whom the marital status is either unknown or irrelevant) may be pluralized as either Mss. or Mses.

Synonyms

• helpmate
• helpmeet
• lady
• madam
• missus
• missis
• old lady
• wife
• wifey
• woman [chiefly dialect]

Examples of Mrs. in a Sentence

“How nice to see you! How's the Mrs.?” inquired the charming older gentleman

Recent Examples on the Web

Districts 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the Bronx have also asked Mrs. Conover to manage a derby for their schools. —Bernard Mokam Gabriela Bhaskar, New York Times, 11 May 2024

While celebrating their own show, Maya Erskine and Donald Glover pose together at the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Emmys FYC Event at Prime Video's Prime Experience on May 7 in L.A. 04 of 119 Drink Up Pedro Pascal reps the Los Angeles Lakers while on set for Materialists on May 9 in New York City. —Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 10 May 2024

This season will also see the return of Michelle Greenidge as Carla Sunday, Angela Wynter as Cherry Sunday and Anita Dobson as Mrs. Flood. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024

Jeanne Theoharis is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College and the author of the award-winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks and the forthcoming King of the North. —TIME, 9 May 2024

Most recently, Harris directed four episodes of Peacock’s Mrs. Davis. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024

World of Hyatt members can now earn and redeem points with nearly 700 luxury properties around the globe that are part of Mr. & Mrs. Smith when booking through Hyatt channels. —Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2024

In addition to being one of Williams' signature films, Mrs. Doubtfire earned $441 million at the worldwide box office before winning an Oscar for Best Makeup at the 1994 Academy Awards. —EW.com, 3 May 2024

At the time, Mrs. Lakara had just finished high school. —Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Mrs. abbreviation of mistress; Mesdames from French, plural of Madame

First Known Use

circa 1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

Mrs.

noun

ˌmis-əz 

-əs,

 especially Southern  ˌmiz-əz,

-əs,

 or  (ˌ)miz

plural Mesdames mā-ˈdäm 

-ˈdam

1

—used as a title before a married woman's last name

2

—used to form a title for a woman who represents the thing indicated

Mrs. Clever

Mrs. Golf

Etymology

an abbreviation of mistress

Medical Definition

MRS

abbreviation

magnetic resonance spectroscopy