dame

[ deym ]

/ deɪm /

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See synonyms for dame on Thesaurus.com

noun

(initial capital letter) (in Britain)

the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight.
the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet.

(formerly) a form of address to any woman of rank or authority.

a matronly woman of advanced age; matron.

Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman: Some dame cut me off and almost caused an accident.

Ecclesiastical. a title of a nun in certain orders.

a mistress of a dame-school.

Archaic. the mistress of a household.

Archaic. a woman of rank or authority, especially a female ruler.

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Origin of dame

1175–1225; Middle English <Old French <Latin domina, feminine of dominus lord, master

usage note for dame

Dame is sometimes perceived as insulting when used to refer generally to a woman, unless it is a woman of rank or advanced age.

Words nearby dame

damask rose, Damastes, Damasus I, Damasus II, d'Amboise, dame, dame-school, dame's rocket, dame's violet, damfool, Damia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dame in a sentence

On days with tight deadlines, we would suit up Mac and walk up Magazine Street to the Garden District, gazing at the grand dame homes and peeking into vintage clothing stores.
Was a three-week trip to New Orleans for work or vacation? Both.|Andrea Sachs|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
His new bosses agreed that the Korean native, 44, presented “the best tasting of anyone” throughout a five-month search for someone to take charge of the grand dame and its underground tavern, the Tombs.
Fresh reasons to return to 1789, one of D.C.’s oldest restaurants|Tom Sietsema|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
If necessity is the mother of invention then the quarantine has been innovation’s grand dame.
Be Very Afraid: A Virtual House of Horrors|Tracy Moran|October 25, 2020|Ozy
“This is campaign activity,” said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor and associate dean at the University of Notre Dame.
The Secret Money Buying Wisconsin’s Laws|ProPublica|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Over a glass (or more) of port, we toast to the Queen…and Dame Judi Dench.
Join The Mile High (Dining) Club|Allison McNearney|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dame Diana Rigg, who plays Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, has turned tales of critical bashing into a delightful play.
Diana Rigg: GOT's Queen of Thorns Speaks|Nico Hines|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both are graduate students in biology at the University of Notre Dame.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Aug 3, 2014|The Daily Beast|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But a study out of Notre Dame this month appears to offer some support for the much-maligned tests.
Are We Addicted to Drug Testing?|Abby Haglage|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But "the cards never forgive," and as a rule Dame Fortune is relentless to the reckless player.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Dame Dorothy Packington sent the trusty and well beloved Thos.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
In a flash Isabel had responded with a challenge of appeal, which that accomplished dame was quick to understand.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Here the proud state that claimed him as her own offspring, met him with the injustice of a malignant step-dame.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
At all events, we have nothing but this minister-general between us and Notre-Dame.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dame (1 of 2)

dame

/ (deɪm) /

noun

(formerly) a woman of rank or dignity; lady

a nun who has taken the vows of her order, esp a Benedictine

archaic, mainly British a matronly or elderly woman

slang, mainly US and Canadian a woman

Also called: pantomime dame British the role of a comic old woman in a pantomime, usually played by a man

Word Origin for dame

C13: from Old French, from Latin domina lady, mistress of a household

British Dictionary definitions for dame (2 of 2)

Dame

/ (deɪm) /

noun (in Britain)

the title of a woman who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire or any of certain other orders of chivalry

the legal title of the wife or widow of a knight or baronet, placed before her nameDame Judith Compare Lady

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dame

Origin of dame

usage note for dame

Words nearby dame

Words related to dame

How to use dame in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dame (1 of 2)

Word Origin for dame

British Dictionary definitions for dame (2 of 2)