ma'am
Americannoun
Usage
Ma'am is used as a title of respect, especially when addressing female royalty
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
"You were required to provide answers and, ma'am, you did not."
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024
“No ma’am, I think we still need conversations,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, when asked if she would vote to nominate Jordan.
From Salon • Oct. 17, 2023
“I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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.
