a woman who, most often secretly, has an ongoing sexual relationship with, and sometimes is financially supported by, someone who is openly married to, engaged to, or living with another person.
If Mr. G thinks his wife doesn’t know he has a mistress, he’s dead wrong—just ask Mrs. G’s private investigator!
Sometimes Mistress the dominant sexual partner, when female, in a BDSM relationship of unequal power.
none Mistress a term of address in former use and corresponding to Mrs., Miss, or Ms.
British. a female schoolteacher; schoolmistress.
Sometimes Mistress something regarded as feminine that has control or supremacy.
Because each enjoyed an era of naval superiority, both Venice and Britain were once known as the Mistress of the Seas.
Older Use. a woman who has authority, control, or power, especially the female head of a household, institution, or other establishment.
I’m sorry, the mistress of the house is not presently available.
Older Use. a woman employing, or in authority over, servants or attendants.
The maid laid out two outfits every morning so that her mistress might choose the one that best suited her mood.
(especially in historical use) a female owner of enslaved people, in the institution of chattel slavery; a female slaveholder.
Her father’s last will and testament made her mistress of his slaves after his death in 1837.
Older Use. a female owner of a pet or other animal.
That horse can only be handled by his mistress and a few of the grooms.
Older Use. a woman who has the power of controlling or disposing of something at her own pleasure.
mistress of a great fortune.
Obsolete. a woman who is skilled in something; a female master of an occupation or art.
She and her sister are both mistresses of the harpsichord.
Archaic. sweetheart.
a woman who has a continuing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
a woman in a position of authority, ownership, or control, such as the head of a household
a woman or female personification having control over something specified
she was mistress of her own destiny
short for schoolmistress
an archaic or dialect word for sweetheart
See -ess .
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English maistresse, from Middle French, Old French, equivalent to maistre master + -esse -ess
A mistress is a female master — she's the one in control. The wardrobe mistress is in charge of costumes for a theater. At some schools, the head of the school is called the headmaster or headmistress. A woman who has an illicit affair — that is, a sexual relationship with someone she's not married to — is also called a mistress. It’s a somewhat old-fashioned word — it’s one-sided, sexist, and often suggests financial support in exchange for sexual favors. On the other hand, history offers some fascinating examples, such the mistress of King Louis XV of France, Madame de Pompadour, renowned for her intelligence and charm.
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Instead of shedding tears or vowing revenge, we hear the protagonist in the song begging the mistress who holds the power to relinquish it.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He and William pleaded with him not to marry his long-term mistress and now queen, Camilla, Harry revealed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
At one point, they came upon previously unseen photographs from Saar’s early career as a costume mistress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It’s hard to imagine his administration being competent enough to fake such actions without at least one conspiracist letting the secret out, even by drunkenly bragging about it to a would-be mistress.
From Salon ● May 13, 2026
“Never mind, I’ll get the dinner and be servant, you be mistress, keep your hands nice, see company, and give orders,” said Jo, who knew still less than Meg about culinary affairs.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
The squad, according to well-placed sources, ended up in trendy London nightspot Mistress of Mayfair to mark the club's Europa League final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
Despite the Mistress of Mayhem’s attempts to snuff it out from the world, beauty finds a way back, reborn even more exceptional because it has survived.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
But when this colossal chess game ends with the Mistress of Mayhem maiming her adversary, “The Art of Personal Chaos” transitions into something even more extraordinary.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
At Monday’s premiere of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” star Angelina Jolie opened up about motherhood, female empowerment and filmmaking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
“It really is a bit too thick,” the Head Mistress of Eton was saying to the Director of Crematoria and Phosphorus Reclamation.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
The result is that midlife crises have become a lot less wild: fewer mistresses and motorcycles and more medical visits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Under Holinshed's assertion that Richard the Lionheart was "not very notorious," Milton added: "the booke of Provenzall poets numbers him in / the catalogue, telling of his poetrie, and his Provenzal / mistresses."
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
So there was this constant contradiction in their lives, but ultimately they were not the mistresses of their own destinies.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2024
Lee Castleton, a former sub-postmaster, in a recorded video message asks Davey who had told him not to engage with the JFSA, the organisation acting on behalf of sub-postmasters and mistresses, and Alan Bates.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2024
Masters and mistresses in degrees of wickedness, estates of disparate means and ambition.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
