maid
Americannoun
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a female domestic employee who cleans tourist accommodations or does cleaning or other housework in a home.
a hotel maid.
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a female domestic servant with any of various duties, especially in a large house (often used in combination).
a kitchen maid who assisted the cook; a handmaid; a lady’s maid; a nursery maid.
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Archaic. a girl or young unmarried woman.
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Archaic. a female virgin.
noun
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archaic a young unmarried girl; maiden
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a female servant
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( in combination )
a housemaid
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a spinster
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of maid
First recorded in 1225–1275; Middle English maide, maid, shortened variant of maiden
Explanation
A maid is a household worker who cleans and performs various other tasks. Today, only very wealthy people have maids — it's much more common to hire an occasional housekeeper or cleaner instead. In the US, it's uncommon to find a household with an actual maid, a servant who lives in the home and tidies it up, also doing jobs like ironing, grocery shopping, and cooking. In the old days, wealthy families employed maids who wore uniforms and sometimes waited on one individual woman, helping her dress herself and cleaning up after her. Maid, short for maiden, originally meant "unmarried woman."
Vocabulary lists containing maid
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.
That was on the corner of Orange Avenue and Minute Maid Road.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
The proposed seeks to prohibit doctors from unilaterally raising Maid with patients and banning its public advertising in healthcare facilities.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
But alas, Minute Maid is saying goodbye to all that, and thanks for the memories.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026
She is also the author of "Maid in India," about migration and inequality in India.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
He was about to point it out to Lemore when it came to the surface with a wash of water that rocked the Shy Maid sideways.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions 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.
