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

Determined to make a difference, Ms. Akhtar continued her studies at a local high school, and started teaching five years ago, at age 19. —Adil Amin Akhoon, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Sep. 2024

The Cross Examination Playbook Used By Defendants/Respondents Mr. Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina cross examined Ms. Carroll. —Patricia Fersch, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

But in a pivot from her usual gross-out humor persona, Sherman will appear as Ms. Finch, an etiquette teacher and dialect tutor for Rena Sofer’s Lois Cerullo. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2024

For his spring 2025 collection, which will parade around the gardens outside Hudson Yards on Sunday, the designer has collaborated with Taiwanese artist Tong Yang-Tze (also known as Ms. Tong), renowned for her large-scale calligraphic paintings. —Ari Stark, WWD, 4 Sep. 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