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Definitions

mother

[muhth-er] / ˈmʌð ər /

NOUN

female person who has borne children

Synonyms

STRONGEST

mom parent

STRONG

ancestor creator mommy origin predecessor progenitor source

WEAK

child-bearer forebearer procreator

Antonyms

STRONG

descendant effect end result

WEAK

father

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for mother?

There are many synonyms for mother. The most common is mom, which is an informal, familiar version of mother. The equivalent mum is commonly used in the U.K. and other places. An even more informal and familiar word is mommy, which is especially used by children. A similarly informal word is mama (and its alternate spellings momma and mamma). All of these terms should be capitalized when they’re used as a way of addressing someone (in other words, when they’re used as a name or a substitute for a name). A mother is a parent. A term that specifically references the role of a mother in bearing a child is child-bearer. The term birthing parent is sometimes used as a gender-neutral term in the context of pregnancy and childbirth. A mother who’s the leader of a family might be called a matriarch. Because mothers are traditionally associated with nurture and caregiving, related words are sometimes used as synonyms, such as nurturer and caregiver. Mother is also sometimes used as a verb meaning to care for someone as a mother or like a mother. Sometimes, it’s used in a negative way that implies that a person is smothering or being overbearing toward the person, as in Please don’t mother me—I can take care of myself.

How do you use mother in a sentence?

Mother is most commonly used as a noun, but it can also be a verb. As a noun, it’s capitalized when it’s used as a name or a substitute for a name. Here are some examples of mother in a sentence:

I’ve always wanted to be a mother.
You should really listen to Mother—she has your best interests in mind.
It’s just her nature to try to mother anyone who looks like they need help.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

mother mothers mothered mothering

“Tomoko Hoetzlein was a devoted mother who did everything in her power to get her son the mental health treatment he desperately needed,” said Ventura County Chief Deputy Dist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Delsia Bare and her mother, Ida Huddleston, rejected a $26.48 million offer for their Kentucky farmland from a company that wanted to build an AI data center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

"We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We're victims; we're going through a disaster," said Mbay resident Siti Saudah Daso, a 31-year-old mother of three.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The All-City Crenshaw High senior linebacker was preparing to enter eighth grade in 2022 when he lost his father and mother within months of each other.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

When the Gestapo came to the barn where the woman was hidden, not the baby but the mother began to shriek with hysteria.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Freud speculated that the “oceanic feeling” of religious ardor replicated the love that infants feel for their mothers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

New mothers are also highly sensitive to disturbance, so keepers kept an eye on Rana and Matano remotely via a baby monitor until the pair were ready to be seen in public.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Most of them were not partnered and weren’t sure they wanted to be single mothers.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Beyond administrative hurdles, students face difficult personal choices, such as family separation and mothers unable to evacuate with their children.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Clint looks over at our mothers, who are still going on like they’ve known each other for years.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Playing a vain, pitch-perfect vision of Los Angeles’ wickedness in “Maps to the Stars,” Julianne Moore mothered so hard she almost separated California right down the San Andreas fault line.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

"She's not eating, being sick, because she mothered her," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025

And in every twist and turn of this whole thing, these two women, they mothered each other...

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

Nothing makes you want to be mothered quite so much as becoming a mother yourself.

From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2022

She wore satin gloves up to the elbow and mothered a long line of smelly dachshunds with tearstained eyes.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Ms. Sampson dwells particularly on the author’s weakness for boyish geniuses in need of mothering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Would my mothering improve before the baby was born?

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

And it behooves city fathers and mothers to take this sentiment seriously, if they wish to keep mothering and fathering.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

"When she was in town, she was very involved," is how she diplomatically sums up Cass's mothering style.

From BBC ● May 5, 2024

I think she liked being in this kitchen, mothering and praying over this big machine and these blocks of backward letters.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Vocabulary lists containing mother

The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!