1
old-fashioned + literary
: an unmarried girl or woman : maid
2
: a former Scottish beheading device resembling the guillotine (see guillotine sense 1)
3
: a horse that has never won a race
Examples of maiden in a Sentence
Noun
a story about a courageous knight who rescues a fair maiden
a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father
Adjective
the maiden issue of a new magazine
a politician giving his maiden speech in the Senate
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Rather than being hunched over their game consoles, these guys were reenacting a legend that—according to Liane—dates back to the early Middle Ages, featuring a Catholic maiden called Mata and a Muslim prince called Grifone.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 May 2026
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 19 May 2026
With the Phantom 3500’s maiden flight targeted for 2027, Otto now plans to advance into detailed engineering work.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maiden
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Noun
No maiden has won the Preakness in the modern era, with the last victory coming in 1888.
—Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Rather than being hunched over their game consoles, these guys were reenacting a legend that—according to Liane—dates back to the early Middle Ages, featuring a Catholic maiden called Mata and a Muslim prince called Grifone.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 May 2026
Adjective
The first Orient Express famously set off on its maiden voyage in October 1883, traveling from Paris to Istanbul (then Constantinople) over three days.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 19 May 2026
With the Phantom 3500’s maiden flight targeted for 2027, Otto now plans to advance into detailed engineering work.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maiden
Cite this Entry
“Maiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maiden. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maiden
1 of 2 noun
maid·en
ˈmād-ᵊn 
: a young unmarried girl or woman
maidenhood
noun
-ˌhu̇d
maidenly
adjective
-lē
maiden
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: not married
maiden aunt
2
: of or relating to a maiden
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