dame
gb/dˈeɪm/ us/dˈeɪm/
B2
English
~ 9000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
Woman with a British honor title
A special honor title for a woman in the UK and some other countries, like the female version of a knight, used before her name.
Usage pattern:
Dame [someone's name]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think they can use “dame” as a polite general word for any woman. In modern English, the capitalized title “Dame” is only used for women who have actually received this honor, usually written with a capital D directly before the person’s first name (e.g. “Dame Sarah Brown”). Writing *“She is a dame teacher”* for an ordinary teacher is incorrect and sounds strange.
Synonyms
title (A very general word for any honor name; it does not show that the title is at the level of a knight.)
|
lady (Can be a title for a woman of rank, but is broader and not always an official honor like Dame.)
Antonyms
commoner (A person without a noble or honorific title, contrasting with someone formally titled as a Dame.)
Collocations
Dame Judi Dench
|Dame Maggie Smith
|made a Dame
|Dame Commander
|Dame of the British Empire
Themes
society
|politics
|culture
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She was made a Dame in recognition of her work for charity.
- Dame Judi Dench has appeared in many famous films and plays.
- After the ceremony, she could officially use the title Dame before her name.
- Newspapers reported that three leading scientists were appointed Dames this year.
- As a Dame of the British Empire, she often attends state events.
Learner examples
- She was made a Dame by the Queen.
- Dame Helen is very famous in the UK.
- The actor thanked the new Dame for her help.
- He read a story about a woman who became a Dame.
- They invited Dame Alice to open the new hospital.
Noun
informal
C1
entity
2
Informal, old-fashioned word for woman
An old-fashioned, informal word for a woman, used mainly in movies or stories and sometimes sounding a little rude or not respectful.
Usage pattern:
[someone] calls [someone] a dame
Common mistake:
Learners may think “dame” is a normal, polite word for any woman and use it in everyday speech. In modern English this sounds old-fashioned, like language from 1930s movies, and can sound mildly rude. It is safer to use “woman” or “lady” in real life. Learners also sometimes confuse this lower-case, informal “dame” with the capitalized title “Dame” used before a famous woman’s name.
Synonyms
woman (Neutral and standard; does not carry the dated, movie-like or slightly disrespectful feeling of “dame.”)
|
broad (Very informal and more slangy and disrespectful than “dame.”)
Antonyms
man (The basic gender opposite of a woman in this context.)
Collocations
tough dame
|classy dame
|old dame
|mysterious dame
|lucky dame
Themes
daily life
|relationships
|slang
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- A tall blonde dame walked into the detective’s office and asked for help.
- He talks like an old movie character, always calling women “dames.”
- The book is full of tough city dames who don’t trust anyone.
- In that old song, the singer keeps calling his girlfriend “a crazy little dame.”
- Some people find the word “dame” for a woman rude or outdated today.
Learner examples
- A dame walked into the bar and sat down next to him.
- In the old film, the hero calls every woman a dame.
- My grandpa sometimes says “dame,” but I never use this word.
- That movie is about a smart dame who solves the crime.
- The writer describes the main character as “a tough little dame.”
Noun
technical
C2
entity
3
Comic older-woman role in pantomime
In British pantomime shows, a funny older woman character, usually played by a man dressed as a woman.
Usage pattern:
[someone] plays the dame
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the honorific title “Dame” and think it refers to a real noblewoman. In theatre contexts, “the dame” is a comic role in pantomime, usually a man dressed as an older woman, not a titled lady.
Synonyms
drag role (A broader term for a person performing in clothes of another gender; not limited to the specific comic pantomime character type called a dame.)
Antonyms
principal boy (In pantomime, a traditional young male hero role often played by a woman, contrasting with the dame, which is an older female role played by a man.)
Collocations
pantomime dame
|play the dame
|comic dame
|traditional dame role
Themes
entertainment
|culture
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- He has played the dame in the village pantomime for the last ten years.
- The theatre company is searching for an experienced comic actor to be their dame this Christmas.
- Her brother stole the show as the outrageous dame in “Cinderella.”
- The dame’s bright dresses and silly jokes kept the children laughing all night.
- In British pantomime, the dame often talks directly to the audience and makes topical jokes.
Learner examples
- He will play the dame in the school pantomime this year.
- The audience laughed every time the dame came on stage.
- In this show, the dame wears big, funny dresses.
- My uncle enjoys being the dame in local pantomimes.
- The dame asks the children questions and waits for their answers.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
4
Chess piece equivalent to the queen
A rare word in English for the queen in chess, the most powerful chess piece.
Usage pattern:
[someone] moves the dame
Common mistake:
Learners whose first language uses a word like “dame” for the chess queen sometimes carry this directly into English and say or write “dame” at the chessboard. In modern English chess vocabulary, “queen” is the correct and almost universal term.
Synonyms
queen (The normal and standard English name for this chess piece; “dame” is rare and nonstandard in modern English.)
Antonyms
pawn (The weakest chess piece, contrasting with the queen/dame, the strongest piece.)
Collocations
lose the dame
|exchange the dame
|white dame
|black dame
Themes
games
|sports
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- In older chess books translated from other languages, the queen is sometimes called the dame.
- He joked in his French accent that he had lost his “dame” instead of his queen.
- Some international players still say “dame” at the board, influenced by their first language.
- The diagram labels the piece as a dame, but English players would call it a queen.
- The coach explained that in English they should say “queen,” not “dame,” during tournaments.
Learner examples
- In English, players say queen, not dame, for this chess piece.
- The old book uses the word dame for the queen.
- He lost his dame early in the game.
- The teacher told us that dame is not a common English word in chess.
- She read that in some languages the queen is called a dame.
Grammar
Expressions
Dame Fortune
1/dˈeɪm fˈɔɹt͡ʃun/
idiom
literary
Personified figure of luck
A literary name for luck, imagined as a woman who gives good or bad luck.
Examples
- The hero trusts Dame Fortune more than careful planning.
- Writers in the past often blamed Dame Fortune when their plans failed.
- He liked to say that Dame Fortune had finally smiled on him.
old dame
1/ˈoʊld dˈeɪm/
fixed phrase
informal
Informal phrase for an older woman
An informal, somewhat rude way to talk about an older woman.
Examples
- Some people think calling someone an old dame is rude and unfriendly.
- In the novel, the detective calls his landlady “that old dame upstairs.”
- He joked that the old dame next door still watches everyone on the street.
pantomime dame
1/pˈæntəmˌaɪm dˈeɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
Comic older-woman role in pantomime
In British pantomime, a funny older woman character, normally played by a man in colorful clothes and makeup.
Examples
- He’s famous locally as the pantomime dame every Christmas.
- The role of the pantomime dame requires strong comedy and improvisation skills.
- Our drama teacher asked who wanted to audition for the pantomime dame this year.