princess
Americannoun
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princesses
plural
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a nonreigning female member of a royal family.
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History/Historical. a female sovereign or monarch; queen.
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the consort of a prince.
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(in Great Britain) a daughter or granddaughter (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.
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a woman considered to have the qualities or characteristics of a princess.
adjective
noun
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(in Britain) a daughter of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons
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a nonreigning female member of a sovereign family
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the wife and consort of a prince
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any very attractive or outstanding woman
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Also called: princess dress. princess line. a style of dress with a fitted bodice and an A-line skirt that is shaped by seams from shoulder to hem without a seam at the waistline
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of princess
1350–1400; Middle English princesse < Middle French. See prince, -ess
Explanation
A princess is the daughter of a king or queen, or the wife of a prince. Some children like to have princess parties because they get to wear fancy dresses, tiaras, and little plastic high heels. In countries that are monarchies, rulers are born into their positions and are typically called kings and queens. If they have a daughter, she’s a princess. Women who marry into these families can also become princesses. The popular image of a princess might be Cinderella dressed for the ball, but modern princesses look a lot more like ordinary people. Princess is the feminine form of prince, from the Latin princeps, "chief leader."
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.
See Examples For:
My sister nearly coughed up a lung from laughing, though, like any self-respecting Pilates princess, she didn’t break form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
The princess agreed, saying that it showed the importance of "making the most of life".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The princess, who announced she was receiving cancer treatment in March 2024, spoke to patients and staff about the importance of support which goes beyond the physical.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
In the first two installments, Panettiere voiced the kind island kid turned princess Kairi for the games’ English dub.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
How often did someone just trip over a sleeping princess, after all?
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Despite experiencing significant physical trauma, the princesses appear to have received medical treatment that allowed them to recover.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Each trade has its kings and queens, its princes and princesses.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
My father wasn't sure about his "princesses" going.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Operating since 2002, Funky Divas & Dudes, like most of these party businesses, offers princesses, superheroes and other pop culture-inspired characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
“The princesses can ride on my back, Milo can catch hold cf my tail, and you can hang on to his ankles.”
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
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.
