Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Used as a form of polite address for a woman: Will that be cash or charge, ma'am?
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A common colloquial contraction of madam, used especially in answers, after yes and no, or interrogatively, when one expects or has not distinctly heard a question.
- n. At the British Court it is used, instead of ‘madam,’ in addressing the queen or a royal princess.
Wiktionary
- n. A contracted form of madam
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Madam; my lady; -- a colloquial contraction of
madam often used in direct address, and sometimes as an appellation.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a woman of refinement
Etymologies
- Contraction of madam (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Anyone in harness to her Majesty in one form or another learns to use the term 'ma'am' as in 'charm' or sometimes as in 'jam'.”
“Although we do hear about how distressing it is to be called "ma'am" by a bartender at a "Nineties" party held by ironic hipsters.”
The Huffington Post: Erika Milvy: "Marga Gomez Is Not Getting Any Younger" Extended
“• The queen is referred to as "your majesty" on the first greeting; in subsequent references, she is to be called "ma'am.”
The Huffington Post: Lisa Mirza Grotts: Royal Boot Camp: 16 Days and Counting
“⢠The queen is referred to as "your majesty" on the first greeting; in subsequent references, she is to be called "ma'am.”
The Huffington Post: Lisa Mirza Grotts: Royal Boot Camp: 16 Days and Counting
“The next minute, I find myself in the studio with all these amazing people, and--"wham bam thank you ma'am"--now we've got an album coming out in September.”
“Because of actor Jack Webb's immortal line -- "just the facts, ma'am"- I call this the Dragnet method.”
“I frowned; part of me resisted being called "ma'am," and all of me hated "miss.”
“At Monday's hearing, Hamilton said little except "Yes, ma'am" as he answered questions from Circuit Court Judge Mary Grace O'Brien about whether he understood the implications of his guilty plea.”
The Huffington Post: Ex-Student Pleads Guilty In Va. College Shooting
“Well, ma'am, if 2+2 = 4, I am going to keep saying that 2+2 = 4!”
Tom McIntyre Explains His Picks for our 2009 Hunting and Fishing Heroes and Villians Face-Off
“Finally, Oprah turned to me and said, "Yes ma'am, you have a comment.”
The Huffington Post: Monique Ruffin: Realizing the Spark of Divinity Within Us
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ma'am’.
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WF - palindromes
alula, anna, bib, bob, civic, dad, deed, dud, DVD, eve, ewe, eye and 91 more...
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loinfruit's Words
buddy, hungry, hug, want, you, i, mommy, school, ballet, sign, sign language, language and 170 more...
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dickensian
commodious, unaccommodating, curtseyed, conviction, crockery, trousers, obtrusive, irascible, considerable, circumstance, ought, establishment and 53 more...
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Ladies' Night
girl, lady, madame, miss, missy, woman, dame, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother and 50 more...
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I'm Terrible With Names
Generic descriptors for a person that don't tell you anything about him or her (except, perhaps, that person's gender, age, or social class). Nice and anonymous. Useful at cocktail parties.
you, he, she, him, her, guy, man, woman, boy, girl, kid, lady and 46 more...
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from
these words are permanently linked in my mind with a particular context, or are made-up words from books and the like. e.g. esteekers is from a kids' book called Sahara Special.
apostasy, esteekers, rueful, scrooch, hegemony, slinkster, pudge, bufrido, grep, qwghlm, praxis, crux and 30 more...
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zeroinfluencer's Words
catapult, amateur, ululate, verification, techno, tantrum, carte blanche, defenestration, phatic, ma'am, ratatouille, paragraphy and 13 more...
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MEC2 Lesson 121
be up, conduct, séance, Liberace, snowcap, devil dog, ho-ho, fruit cocktail, syrup, consistant, guilty, guilt and 70 more...
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Rapunzel79's Words
progress, krill, monte, taffies, variant, ma'am, absolute, fourth estate
Tweets
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