: madam
—used without a name as a form of respectful or polite address to a woman
Thank you, ma'am.
"Yes, ma'am. Come in, ma'am. I'll tell Miss Lavendar you're here, ma'am. She's upstairs, ma'am."—
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery"My dear ma'am," said the parson, replying in preference to the lady …—Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward Bulwer-LyttonShe looked down at him and said, "He most certainly is a large dog." "Yes ma'am," I told her. "He has a large heart, too."—Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamilloExamples of ma'am in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lewis, now the Director of Youth Wellbeing at the Human Rights Campaign, loves when people are confused about whether to call them a ma'am and sir -- its hard to put Lewis in a box.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 7 June 2024
Looking good, ma'am | Credit: ABC For the detailed lineup of all the Golden Bachelor contestants, check back at EW this Wednesday, Aug. 30.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
No, ma'am — getting sick is definitely not worth skipping a short blow-dry sesh.
—Emilie Branch, Allure, 4 Oct. 2018
But like much of the South, please, thank you, sir, ma'am, and a good helping of eye contact are all the norm.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2018
But there's something in my room that doesn't feel right ma'am.
—Country Living, 26 Oct. 2016
Josh Hedrick [in court]: Give us your name please, ma'am.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2017
Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 7 June 2024
Looking good, ma'am | Credit: ABC For the detailed lineup of all the Golden Bachelor contestants, check back at EW this Wednesday, Aug. 30.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2023
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
No, ma'am — getting sick is definitely not worth skipping a short blow-dry sesh.
—Emilie Branch, Allure, 4 Oct. 2018
But like much of the South, please, thank you, sir, ma'am, and a good helping of eye contact are all the norm.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2018
But there's something in my room that doesn't feel right ma'am.
—Country Living, 26 Oct. 2016
Josh Hedrick [in court]: Give us your name please, ma'am.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ma'am.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ma'am
Cite this Entry
“Ma'am.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ma%27am. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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