ma'am
noun
ˈmam 
after "yes" often əm
: 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"My dear ma'am," said the parson, replying in preference to the lady … 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
Lucy Maud Montgomery"My dear ma'am," said the parson, replying in preference to the lady … 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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web 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 No, ma'am — getting sick is definitely not worth skipping a short blow-dry sesh. Emilie Branch, Allure, 4 Oct. 2018 But there's something in my room that doesn't feel right ma'am. Country Living, 26 Oct. 2016 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 Josh Hedrick [in court]: Give us your name please, ma'am. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2017 See More
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 No, ma'am — getting sick is definitely not worth skipping a short blow-dry sesh. Emilie Branch, Allure, 4 Oct. 2018 But there's something in my room that doesn't feel right ma'am. Country Living, 26 Oct. 2016 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 Josh Hedrick [in court]: Give us your name please, ma'am. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
First Known Use
1668, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing ma'am
Kids Definition
ma'am
noun
ˈmam
: madam
- get on with your life
- get on/onto the subject of
- get one anywhere
- get one's act together
- get one's ass in gear
- get one's ass kicked
- get one's back up
- get one's bearings
- get one's bell rung
- get one's card
- get one's claws on
- get one's ducks in a row
- get one's facts straight
- get one's feet wet
- get one's foot in the door
- get one's goat
- get one's hands off
- get one's hands off of
- get one's hands on
- get one's head on right
- get one's head on straight
- get one's head round
- get one's head screwed on right
- get one's head screwed on straight
- get one's hopes up