Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Used as a courtesy title before the surname or full name of a woman or girl.
  • noun Used in informal titles for a woman to indicate the epitomizing of an attribute or activity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An abbreviation of Master of Scientific Agriculture;
  • noun of Member of the Society of Arts.
  • noun An abbreviation of manuscript.
  • noun An abbreviation of Master of Staghounds.
  • noun An abbreviation of mean sea-level.
  • noun An abbreviation of Member of the Statistical Society.
  • noun An abbreviation of Madras Staff Corps.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • abbreviation US, Canada A title used before an adult female's name or surname instead of Miss or Mrs.
  • abbreviation short form of mistress

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a master's degree in science
  • noun the form of a literary work submitted for publication
  • noun a form of address for a woman
  • noun a state in the Deep South on the gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate States during the American Civil War
  • noun a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers
  • noun a form of address for a woman

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Blend of Miss and Mrs.]

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Examples

  • But all I can think is that she hates the title Ms. She said it was “asinine,” another of her cherished words.

    Vivian Rising Daniella Brodsky 2010

  • Ben Zimmer, who's been hunting the elusive "first known proposal for using the title Ms. to refer to a woman regardless of her marital status"; he's found it on page 4 of the

    languagehat.com 2009

  • Big Mama, the name Ms. Cadenhead’s grandchildren call her, serves it in the summer with sliced peaches or strawberries, and in winter she toasts, butters, and tops it with homemade fig preserves when the occasion calls for a special breakfast.

    One Big Table Molly O’Neill 2010

  • They didn't call the name of Ms. Zhou, who went back inside to sit with other Chinese workers at Choei Suisan, making origami baskets.

    Rescue by Bus: China Sends for Its Own Daisuke Wakabayashi 2011

  • Hymowitz I hate that phony term "Ms." asks nothing of women, so let me do the job for her: When are women going to accept their God-given roles of being wives and mothers?

    Way to a Man's Heart May Not Be Through an Essay 2011

  • His mother, who we called Ms. Fish, was always good to me.

    Magic City Trick Daddy 2010

  • I was very worried about them, so I called Ms. Berman at the shelter.

    Cat Burglar Caper Carolyn Keene 2010

  • Tarita Virtue is set to retake the witness stand on Tuesday morning where she will undoubtedly chat about the content of the various calls Ms. Virtue transcribed -- including calls involving a number of famous names.

    Allison Hope Weiner: Pellicano Trial: Tarita Virtue Takes The Stand 2008

  • Following this, Robert Roode announced Brooks had been replaced by Maxon, under the new name Ms.

    TNA / SHIMMER, Rain / Ms.Payton Banks ~~ Sabre ~~ 2008

  • Following this, Robert Roode announced Brooks had been replaced by Maxon, under the new name Ms.

    Archive 2008-02-01 ~~ Sabre ~~ 2008

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