Meaning

A polite form of address for a woman or lady..

Definitions by Sense

1. A polite form of address for a woman or lady.
2. The mistress of a household.
3. (colloquial) A conceited or quarrelsome girl.
4. (slang) A woman who runs a brothel, particularly one that specializes in finding prostitutes for rich and important clients.
5. (India, derogatory slang) A hated or contemptuous woman; used as a general term of abuse
6. (transitive) To address as "madam".
7. (ambitransitive, rare) To be a madam; to run (a brothel).

Example Sentences

Mrs Grey wondered if the outfit she was trying on made her look fat. The sales assistant just said, “It suits you, madam”.

Later, Mrs Grey was sitting in her favourite tea shop. “Would madam like the usual cream cakes and patisserie with her tea?” the waitress asked.

“Nothing, madam, but a tumbler of wine with a little water—thank you, madam. Mesdames, great events have occurred since I left you.”

I leaned on the hoe, in classic pose, and watched the cowbird try to bust his buttons in that agonizing split whistle which is his serenade to the madam. Perhaps I should say to the mesdames, for this fellow is the Don Juan of the feathered world, with no moral standards and a distinct aversion to anything that resembles domestic ties.

“[…] This size, madam!” Certainly, the mesdames would not have been interested.

After two years, Madam X was busy enough to take on a partner: Madam Z, aged twenty. Both regularly scouted new marks and told Stead that ‘nurse girls’ (nannies) were the best: ‘there are any number in [the parks] every morning and all are virgins’. Selling maidenhoods was their speciality. ‘Our gentlemen want maids,’ they said, ‘not damaged articles.’ ‘Come,’ he said to the mesdames, ‘what do you say to delivering me five [girls] on Saturday next? . . . Could you deliver me a parcel of maids, for me to distribute among my friends?’ Within a fortnight, the Mesdames had supplied Stead with seven girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen.

Selina kept pushing and shoving during musical chairs. The nursery school teacher said she was a bad-tempered little madam.

After she grew too old to work as a prostitute, she became a madam.

Word Forms

• madams
• mesdames
• madame
• madaming
• madamming
• madamed
• madammed

Synonyms for madam

Related Words

When Should You Use Madam?

Use madam when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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