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Meaning & use

Dear Sir or Madam

phrase·Everydayformal

Last updated

UK/ˌdɪə ˈsɜːr ɔː ˈmædəm/
US/ˌdɪr ˈsɜːr ɔːr ˈmædəm/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phraseformal

    A formal way of beginning a letter or email to a person whose name you do not know.

    Grammar: Used only as a greeting at the very start of a message, followed by a comma and then the body on a new line.

    Patterns

    • Dear Sir or Madam, ...

    Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to ask about your graduate program.

    Dear Sir or Madam, please find my application attached.

    If you do not know who will read the letter, begin with 'Dear Sir or Madam'.

  2. phrasefixed phraseformal

    A written greeting used to address an unknown official or a company rather than one named person.

    Grammar: Treated as a single unit; the reply to it usually starts with 'Dear Sir/Madam' or simply 'Dear Customer'.

    Patterns

    • address someone as Dear Sir or Madam

    The complaint was addressed to 'Dear Sir or Madam' because no manager's name was listed.

    Using 'Dear Sir or Madam' is safer than guessing whether the reader is a man or a woman.

Common combinations

Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to request a refund.
begin with Dear Sir or Madam
Formal letters often begin with Dear Sir or Madam.
address a letter to Dear Sir or Madam
She addressed the letter to Dear Sir or Madam and posted it.
Yours faithfully after Dear Sir or Madam
In British English, 'Yours faithfully' traditionally follows 'Dear Sir or Madam'.

Synonyms and how they differ

Dear Sir/Madam
A shorter, more common variant of the same greeting; the slash replaces 'or'.
To whom it may concern
Also used when the reader is unknown, but it sounds colder and is now often seen as old-fashioned in job applications.
Dear Hiring Manager
More specific and usually preferred when writing about a job, because it names the role of the reader.

Word family

Sir noun
A polite title used before a man's name or alone to address a man.
Madam noun
A polite title used before a woman's name or alone to address a woman.

Commonly confused: Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Madam Sir? Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Sirs?

Dear Sir or Madam vs Dear Madam Sir

'Dear Madam Sir' is not standard English; the fixed order is 'Dear Sir or Madam', with Sir first.

Dear Sir or Madam vs Dear Sirs

'Dear Sirs' is an older British form for writing to a company; it is now widely seen as outdated and excludes women, so 'Dear Sir or Madam' or 'Dear Sir/Madam' is safer.

Practice

Which opening is correct and most natural for a formal letter to an unknown reader?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “Dear Sir or Madam”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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