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lady of the house

American  
[ley-dee uhv thuh hous] / ˈleɪ di əv ðə ˈhaʊs /

noun

  1. Usually the lady of the house the female head of a household.


Etymology

Origin of lady of the house

First recorded in 1785–95

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:

The lady of the house gifted him a September 1968 edition of Life magazine from her collection, and there, on the front cover, was a bespectacled Arthur Ashe at the net.

From BBC Jul. 4, 2025

As the lady of the house, Hüller cuts a loathsome, terrifying figure: She’s a hausfrau Lady Macbeth, all inelegant vanity and hectoring manipulation.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 14, 2023

He said Maxwell was Epstein's "girlfriend" and "the lady of the house" who was there "95% of the times" when Epstein was at his Palm Beach residence.

From Fox News Dec. 2, 2021

Emma is a girl whose mother died when she was a child, who has been thrust into the role of lady of the house far too young.

From Salon Feb. 21, 2020

On Joyce’s first day of work, Mrs. Tellwright, the lady of the house, had casually asked her to prepare duck a I’orange for dinner.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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