Dear Sirs

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseformalbusinessold-fashioned

   A formal opening used at the start of a letter written to a company or to a group of men whose names you do not know.

   Grammar: Use it only as a greeting at the very beginning of a letter, followed by a comma, then start a new line.

   Patterns

   • Dear Sirs, ... (at the start of a letter)

   Dear Sirs, I am writing to ask about the delay in my order.

   The letter began 'Dear Sirs' and ended with a request for a refund.

   In older business files you often find letters opening with 'Dear Sirs'.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasehumorousdisapproving

   Used humorously or disapprovingly to address a group of men as if writing them a stiff official letter.

   Grammar: Here it works like a mock formal address, often placed before a complaint or demand, and is not a real letter opening.

   Patterns

   • Dear Sirs, ... (before a complaint or demand)

   Dear Sirs, could someone please explain why the meeting started an hour late?

   He began his email to his flatmates with 'Dear Sirs', which made everyone laugh.

Common combinations

Dear Sirs, I am writing to ...

Dear Sirs, I am writing to complain about the service I received.

open a letter with 'Dear Sirs'

Some older British companies still open a letter with 'Dear Sirs'.

Yours faithfully (after Dear Sirs)

If you begin with 'Dear Sirs', British letters traditionally close with 'Yours faithfully'.

Dear Sir or Madam

Many offices now use 'Dear Sir or Madam' instead of 'Dear Sirs'.

Synonyms and how they differ

Dear Sir or Madam

This is the gender-neutral version and is now the safer choice when you do not know who will read the letter.

Dear Sir

Use this when you are writing to one man only, not to a whole company.

To whom it may concern

This is even more impersonal and is used for references or notices rather than ordinary business letters.

Word family

sir noun

A polite way to address a man, or the title used before a knight's name.

madam noun

The female equivalent used in polite or formal address.

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

Practice

Make it your own

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

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