ma'am
Americannoun
Usage
Ma'am is used as a title of respect, especially when addressing female royalty
Etymology
Origin of ma'am
First recorded in 1660–70; by contraction
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.
“You’re following us, ma’am, we are doing an operation,” the agent says.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025
Get out there and get on with your day, ma’am or sir!
From Slate • Jul. 26, 2025
A man with a tattoo that swirls across his face shouts, "Where you from, ma'am?"
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
Cohen said: "No ma'am," adding that it was not enough work for him to send an invoice.
From Salon • May 14, 2024
So I looked her in the eye and said, “Yes, ma’am, I did.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
