First Lady

noun

variants or first lady
plural First Ladies or first ladies
1
: the wife or female partner of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction
It is a reminder of just how peculiar the role of First Lady is in American public life. She has a job with no salary, a platform with no power, an East Wing filled with staff but no budget.Jonathan Van Meter
As a supermodel, singer-songwriter, and former first lady of France, no one has had a career quite like Carla Bruni. Since her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, left office in 2012, Bruni has focused on her music.Janelle Okwodu
also : someone who is not the wife or female partner of a chief executive but who fulfills the public duties of a First Lady
Unique among First Ladies, Harriet Lane acted as hostess for the only President who never married: James Buchanan, her favorite uncle and her guardian after she was orphaned at the age of eleven. Allida Black
2
: the leading woman of an art or profession
Back before Mobb Deep, before the whole Juice Crew, the first MC to blow up big out of the Bridge was hip hop's universally recognized First Lady, Roxanne Shanté.Sacha Jenkins
Carolyn Wells is the first lady of barbecue—alongside her late husband Gary Wells and friend Rick Welch, the three founded the Kansas City Barbeque Society in 1986.Damian Dominguez

Examples of First Lady in a Sentence

The President and the First Lady attended the concert. the first lady of American dance
Recent Examples on the Web The event, moderated by former California First Lady Maria Shriver, was focused on bridging political differences and defending democratic values. Sughnen Yongo, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Other recent credits include the Showtime series First Lady. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2024 There’s also, Elizabeth Keckley, who designed fashion for First Lady Mary Lincoln, and her work is in the Smithsonian. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 Oct. 2024 Argent’s speciality pants suits were the uniform for the evening, seen on Oakland retailer Sherri McMullen, fashion consultant Laura Brown, former First Lady Michelle Obama’s stylist Meredith Koop and more. Booth Moore, WWD, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for First Lady 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'First Lady.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of First Lady was in 1677

Dictionary Entries Near First Lady

Cite this Entry

“First Lady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/First%20Lady. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

first lady

noun
often capitalized F&L
: the wife, female partner, or hostess of the chief executive of a country or jurisdiction
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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