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

Sam Waterston plays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, while Susan Sarandon plays First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

On December 11, 2024, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Women’s Health Research. —Eva Epker, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

In 1923, First Lady Grace Coolidge gave the District of Columbia Public Schools her blessing to place a Christmas tree on the White House's South Lawn, as per the National Park Service. —Marina Watts, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024

The return under President Joe Biden was marked by a flag-raising ceremony attended by First Lady Jill Biden. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

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