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

At the urging of Republican donors, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis is considering a run for governor as her husband faces term limits and is set to leave his office in January 2027, according to an NBC News report that cited multiple sources. —Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2025

No, Trump is gonna get big-dogged at the big game this weekend by Taylor Swift, First Lady of WAGs, who will be rolling up to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce, who is playing in his third Super Bowl in a row with the Kansas City Chiefs. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, Oh Mary! is a comedic take on Mary Todd Lincoln, in which the titular First Lady tries to recapture her glory days as a cabaret star, only to be thwarted by her gay husband, Abe Lincoln. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 6 Feb. 2025

In 1976, President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, according to the White House Historical Society. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

first lady

noun

often capitalized F&L

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