maid of honor
Americannoun
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an unmarried woman who is the chief attendant of a bride.
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an unmarried woman, usually of noble birth, attendant on a queen or princess.
Etymology
Origin of maid of honor
First recorded in 1580–90
Compare meaning
How does maid-of-honor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Address the maid of honor directly and let her know you’d love to have some details finalized by a specific deadline.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026
Conrad was maid of honor at Cooper’s wedding, but, as Cooper confessed on a recent podcast, they aren’t friends anymore.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2025
He had recently attended a wedding where, in her toast, the maid of honor had thanked the bride for being her “trusted trespasser.”
From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025
The poolside nuptials were attended by an icy blue-clad Miley Cyrus, who served as her mom’s maid of honor, and siblings Brandi and Trace Cyrus, Just Jared reported.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2023
“Deal,” the girl in pink said, “and if we get married someday, you’ll be my maid of honor for sure.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
