- a married Frenchwoman: usually used as a title equivalent to Mrs, and sometimes extended to older unmarried women to show respect and to women of other nationalities
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mad•ame /məˈdæm, -ˈdɑm/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. mes•dames /meɪˈdæm, -ˈdɑm/.USA pronunciation n. [countable], pl. mes•dames
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a French title equivalent to Mrs.:Madame Curie.Abbr.: Mme.
mad•ame
(mə dam′, -däm′, ma-; mad′əm;
Fr. ma dam′),USA pronunciation n., pl. mes•dames (mā dam′, -däm′; Fr. mā dam′).USA pronunciation (often cap.)
Fr. ma dam′),USA pronunciation n., pl. mes•dames (mā dam′, -däm′; Fr. mā dam′).USA pronunciation (often cap.)
- a French title of respect equivalent to "Mrs.'', used alone or prefixed to a woman's married name or title:Madame Curie.
- (in English) a title of respect used in speaking to or of an older woman, esp. one of distinction, who is not of American or British origin. Abbr.: Mme.
- French; see madam
- 1590–1600
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
madame /ˈmædəm; French: madam/ n ( pl mesdames /ˈmeɪˌdæm; French: medam/)
'madame' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Blavatsky
- Burney
- mesdames
- Mme
- Staël
- après moi le déluge
- Arblay, d'
- bovarism
- civilization
- Dudevant
- Guyon
- idol
- madam
- Madame Bovary
- Madame Butterfly
- mademoiselle
- Mdme.
- Mme.
- nee
- Recamier
- Theosophical Society
- Tussaud
- Staël-Holstein