maid

noun

ˈmād 

1

: an unmarried girl or woman especially when young : virgin

2

a

: maidservant

b

: a woman or girl employed to do domestic work

Synonyms

• biddy
• char [British]
• charwoman
• handmaiden
• handmaid
• house girl
• housekeeper
• housemaid
• maidservant
• skivvy [British]
• wench [old-fashioned]

Examples of maid in a Sentence

She hired a maid to do the cleaning.

hired a maid to do the housework after the baby was born

Recent Examples on the Web

Coward also pokes fun at the power struggle between the upper and lower classes as Julia tries and fails to keep the help, the officious maid Saunders (a hilarious turn by Cindy Goldfield), in her place. —Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024

In the show’s fourth season, Gretchen Rossi had a garage sale, Keough went shopping with her daughter at H&M (oh, the shame!), and Tamra Judge had to fire her maid. —Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024

In both time periods, Campbell plays the help: the nurse in 1976 and, in 1955, a maid actually named Biddy. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024

The deeper characters in this production are her maid, Suzuki, and Sharpless, the American consul. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maide, short for maiden

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing maid

• maid-in-waiting
• maid of honor
• meter maid
• old maid
• sea-maid

Kids Definition

maid

noun

ˈmād 

1

: an unmarried girl or woman

especially : maiden entry 1

2

: a female servant