maître d'
American-
a headwaiter.
-
a steward or butler.
-
the owner or manager of a hotel.
Etymology
Origin of maître d'
First recorded in 1815–25; shortening of maître d'hôtel
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.
He got into it with the maître d’: “You don’t trust that my date is not going to take pictures?”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025
“A lot of times, you won’t even see the dog” until you seat the owners, said Ally Gallegos, a former maître d’ at an upscale neighborhood restaurant in the West Village.
From New York Times • May 16, 2024
"I don't really see him as Fred Sirieix the maître d', I don't see him as anything other than my dad."
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2024
He knows seemingly every staff member, from the maître d’ to the waiters.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2023
“After we spoke, I remembered some things. When I saw your mother in the restaurant, I asked the maître d’ to tell her that we’d be departing soon.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
