lady ( ladies plural )
1 n-count You can use lady when you are referring to a woman, especially when you are showing politeness or respect.
She's a very sweet old lady..., ...a lady doctor., ...a cream-coloured lady's shoe.
2 n-voc You can say `ladies' when you are addressing a group of women in a formal and respectful way., (politeness)
Your table is ready, ladies, if you'd care to come through..., Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
3 n-count A lady is a woman from the upper classes, especially in former times.
Our governess was told to make sure we knew how to talk like English ladies.
4 n-title In Britain, Lady is a title used in front of the names of some female members of the nobility, or the wives of knights.
My dear Lady Mary, how very good to see you.
5 n-count If you say that a woman is a lady, you mean that she behaves in a polite, dignified, and graceful way.
His wife was great as well, beautiful-looking and a real lady...
6 n-sing People sometimes refer to a public toilet for women as the ladies.
INFORMAL usu the N
At Temple station, Charlotte rushed into the Ladies.
7 n-voc `Lady' is sometimes used by men as a form of address when they are talking to a woman that they do not know, especially in shops and in the street.
INFORMAL, politeness What seems to be the trouble, lady?...
First Lady →
bag lady ( bag ladies plural ) A bag lady is a homeless woman who carries her possessions in shopping bags. n-count
cleaning lady ( cleaning ladies plural ) A cleaning lady is a woman who is employed to clean the rooms and furniture inside a building. n-count
first lady ( first ladies plural ) TheFirst Lady in a country or state is the wife of the president or state governor, or a woman who performs the official duties normally performed by the wife. n-count usu the N in sing
lady friend ( lady friends plural ) A man's lady friend is the woman with whom he is having a romantic or sexual relationship.
OLD-FASHIONED n-count usu poss N
lady-in-waiting ( ladies-in-waiting plural ) A lady-in-waiting is a woman whose job is to help a queen or princess. n-count
lady-killer ( lady-killers plural ) If you refer to a man as a lady-killer, you mean that you think he is very successful at attracting women but quickly leaves them.
Some men refer to their wife, girlfriend, or mother as their old lady.
INFORMAL n-sing usu poss N
He had met his old lady when he was a house painter and she was a waitress.
Some Christians, especially Catholics, refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, as Our Lady. n-proper
Will you pray to Our Lady for me?