mermaid
Americannoun
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(in folklore) a female marine creature, having the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the tail of a fish.
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a highly skilled female swimmer.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mermaid
First recorded in 1300–50, mermaid is from the Middle English word mermayde. See mere 2, maid
Explanation
A mermaid is mythical sea creature that has the head and upper body of a woman and a tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in folklore from around the world, from the ancient Greek sirens who were said to lure sailors to a watery death, to the Mami Wata water spirits from African mythology. The Disney version of mermaids comes from the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid," about a mermaid who trades her life in the sea for love with a human. Mermaid means "maid of the sea," from mere, "sea" in Middle English.
Vocabulary lists containing mermaid
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:
Cenci owns a company that sells mermaid clip-on hair extensions and flew in from New Jersey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
Of course, some of what he exhibited for his patrons had nothing to do with the real world—like his infamous Fiji mermaid, purportedly half monkey, half fish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
That could mean a classic A-line or ballgown for the ceremony with a shift to mermaid cut, column or mini dress for later events, she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
It is amusing to see young Reubens in drag as a kid at Halloween, or playing a Cher-inspired mermaid in a video he made while at college.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025
I raked a brush through my wet, gnarly hair and put the mermaid necklace over my head.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
My boy is such a traditional boy, and then the girls want to dress up like mermaids and princesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
"The Little Mermaid" is explicit about how humans hurt the ecosystem, a critique made by Black mermaids in older folk tales and recent literature inspired by them.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2023
Others brushed aside concerns, getting on with shows on Monday inspired by Greek goddesses at Christian Dior, fine art at Schiaparelli and mermaids at Iris Van Herpen.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2023
Mythical hybrid beasts such as mermaids, centaurs and chimeras testify to our enduring fascination with the plasticity of biological form: the idea that natural organisms can mutate or be reconfigured.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
Hazel told him how the mermaids had warmed up to her right away.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
