noun
dame
daym
noun
1
A title given to a woman who holds a high honour, equivalent to "Sir" for a man.
"She was made a Dame for her services to charity."
2
Informal, especially in older American slang: a woman.
"Some dame walked into the office looking for trouble."
How to Use Dame
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a formal title of honour for a woman, or old-fashioned slang for "woman."
When to use it
The slang sense sounds dated and is mostly associated with old detective films — using it casually today can come across as old-fashioned.
Common pairings
Dame Judi Dench
a tough dame
Word Forms
damed past tense, dames plural, Dames plural, dames singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “dame”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She was made a _____ for her services to charity.
Etymology
From Old French dame ("lady"), from Latin domina ("mistress of the house").