ms

1 of 3

abbreviation (1)

millisecond

Ms.

2 of 3

noun

ˈmiz 

variants US Ms. or British Ms

plural Mss. or Mses. ˈmi-zəz 

—used as a conventional title of courtesy before a woman's surname

My history teacher is Ms. Judson

—used instead of Miss or Mrs. (as when the marital status of a woman is unknown or irrelevant)

Ms. Mary Smith

"I think you do want to dispute the fact that you had a difficult childhood," Ms. Johnston told Mrs. Gore, who was silent for several beats, then agreed.

—Katha Pollitt

But it wasn't until the 1970s that Ms. took its place in the emerging women's liberation movement. It was a heady time for women, and the new prefix represented an important new way for them to define themselves as individuals, rather than in terms of their relationship to men.

—Carol Toller

MS

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

1

[Italian mano sinistra] left hand

2

manuscript

3

master of science

4

military science

5

Mississippi

6

motor ship

7

multiple sclerosis

Examples of ms in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On the opposite end of idyllic Seven Mile Beach, Ms. Piper’s exists as a charming backyard oasis beside the four-star Grand Cayman Marriott Resort. —Brad Japhe, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Parallel worlds Like most Zimbabweans, Ms. Mutanga operates in multiple parallel financial universes every day. —Tawanda Karombo, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024

These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Without even a phone conversation, Mr. Troughton invited Ms. Weigel to his home in Nashville for dinner. —Shivani Vora, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably blend of Miss and Mrs.

First Known Use

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Ms.

noun

(ˌ)miz 

plural Mss. or Mses. ˈmiz-əz 

—used instead of Miss or Mrs. (as when it is unknown or unimportant whether the woman addressed is married or single)

Etymology

Noun

probably a combination of Miss and Mrs.

Medical Definition

ms

1 of 2 abbreviation

millisecond

MS

2 of 2 abbreviation

1

mass spectrometry

2

master of science

3

multiple sclerosis