ayah

noun

Definition of ayahnext
as in amah

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ayah This was a place where other Asians also found a home, notably lascars from India and East Africa, and ayahs abandoned by their English employers after the long sea voyage. — Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ayah
  1. amah
  2. nurse
  3. nanny
Noun
  • In colonial days, many families had a lifelong helper known as an amah (after the Portuguese word for nurse).
    — Time, Time, 23 Jan. 2018
Definition of amah
Noun
  • Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse, gives birth to her third child.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Youth, teachers and parents in four towns complained of unsanitary school conditions and chronic staff shortages including of nurses and social workers.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of nurse
Noun
  • Instead of a nanny, Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson) is a up-and-coming writer hired to help famed author Verity Crawford (Hathaway) finish her series of twisted psychological thrillers after a car accident left her unable to complete them on her own.
    — Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Glanusk Estate, where William met the Wyatts, is the family seat of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, the former nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry, which may explain the prince’s participation in the bric-a-brac sale.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of nanny

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“Ayah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ayah. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ayah

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