English · Word Candidate

sir

/sɜː/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: sirs · sirring · sirred

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A man of a higher rank or position.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một người có cấp bậc hoặc vị trí cao hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A respectful term of address to a man of higher rank or position, particularly

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một thuật ngữ lịch sự dùng để gọi một người có cấp bậc cao hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776. B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves? Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's con

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To address another individual using "sir".

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Gọi một người khác bằng sir

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

VerbRegister: informal

Examples

Sir, yes, sir! —Don't you sir me, private! I work for a living!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The titular prefix given to a knight or baronet.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Tiền tố danh hiệu được trao cho một hiệp sĩ hoặc baronet

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: UK

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “sir” mean?

A man of a higher rank or position.

Is “sir” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.