First Lady

noun

variants or first lady

plural First Ladies or first ladies

1

: the wife or female partner of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction

It is a reminder of just how peculiar the role of First Lady is in American public life. She has a job with no salary, a platform with no power, an East Wing filled with staff but no budget.

—Jonathan Van Meter

As a supermodel, singer-songwriter, and former first lady of France, no one has had a career quite like Carla Bruni. Since her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, left office in 2012, Bruni has focused on her music.

—Janelle Okwodu

also : someone who is not the wife or female partner of a chief executive but who fulfills the public duties of a First Lady

Unique among First Ladies, Harriet Lane acted as hostess for the only President who never married: James Buchanan, her favorite uncle and her guardian after she was orphaned at the age of eleven.

—Allida Black

2

: the leading woman of an art or profession

Back before Mobb Deep, before the whole Juice Crew, the first MC to blow up big out of the Bridge was hip hop's universally recognized First Lady, Roxanne Shanté.

—Sacha Jenkins

Carolyn Wells is the first lady of barbecue—alongside her late husband Gary Wells and friend Rick Welch, the three founded the Kansas City Barbeque Society in 1986.

—Damian Dominguez

Examples of First Lady in a Sentence

The President and the First Lady attended the concert.

the first lady of American dance

Recent Examples on the Web

The former First Lady of Canada and longtime mental health advocate sat down with moderator Gina Pell, creative Leader and co-founder of The What and The What Alliance, for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, trauma and the power of vulnerability. —Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 8 Mar. 2025

In addition to First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, other guests included a trio of Jewish White House staffers who threw together an impromptu seder the year before while campaigning with Obama. —Penny Schwartz, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2025

In attendance in the chamber as guests of the First Lady were the families of two young women who were murdered by Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. unlawfully that had been previously apprehended and released by authorities. —Nik Popli, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025

Photo: Getty Images First Lady Trump opted for a gray tweed skirt suit by Christian Dior, which featured a scarf-shawl lapel and belted waist. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for First Lady

• arcady
• landlady
• cady
• shady
• zaidi

Kids Definition

first lady

noun

often capitalized F&L

: the wife, female partner, or hostess of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction