stewardess
Americannoun
-
stewardesses
plural
-
a woman flight attendant.
-
a woman who attends to the comfort of passengers on a ship, train, or bus.
noun
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stewardess
1625–35 for earlier sense “female steward”; 1930–35 stewardess for def. 1; steward + -ess
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Roan appeared from the back of stage, revealing her leather, periwinkle stewardess outfit and red mod bob — an apparent nod to Luc Besson’s 1997 film “The Fifth Element.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Dutch broadcaster RTL said the woman was a stewardess at Dutch airline KLM, who had been in contact with a woman who died from a hantavirus infection in Johannesburg.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
On an airplane, recently, she noticed that when the stewardess came around offering coffee and tea, a surprising number of adults opted for hot chocolate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
David Zucker: My favorite has always been when the stewardess says, "I've never been so scared, and besides, I am 26 and I'm not married."
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2023
The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
“Catch Me If You Can” leans hard into ’60s chic, with an ensemble of Pan Am airline stewardesses and a variety-show orchestra on stage.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2019
"But it was feared that if one of the stewardesses didn't stay aboard, he may not let the passengers off in Denver."
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2019
But there are also stewardesses, a donut-shop clerk, a massage therapist and an amateur tennis player.
From Washington Post ● May 23, 2016
There were airline pilots and stewardesses, young female shoppers, baseball-playing kids, courting teens, a homemaker, a snow-shoveler.
From Slate ● May 18, 2015
Ma's eyes close as the stewardesses busy themselves with preflight chores.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
