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:
After the war, when the princess decides to defect to the West, a river-barge captain nicknamed St. Peter smuggles her past communist guards in a sealed, nearly full water tank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The concept had the goblin going out to a bar, hoping to charm the princess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The future princess of Wales and her siblings called their stepmother “Acid Raine” and were antagonists for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Dad Daniel said he thought the message would resonate with the princess, after she completed her own Three Peaks challenge earlier this year, in aid of the hospital where she was treated for cancer.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
And then to the friars: "You wicked wizards, you won't be able to kidnap that lovely princess and her lovely ladies in waiting!"
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
At Funko’s flagship Hollywood store, there are thousands to choose from, ranging from NFL players to Disney princesses and characters from the Netflix period drama “Bridgerton.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
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
The itinerary is "jam packed" with plans including meeting princesses and feeding dolphins.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
“I’m not you...and I’m definitely not my father. What’s the point, anyway? There aren’t any unmarried princesses left!”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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