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

Itauma was born in Slovakia to a Nigerian father and a Slovak mother before moving to Kent as a young child.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Keith Waldrop’s memoir of midcentury America is saturated by the religious fervor that gripped his mother.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"I saw two buses carrying Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar," said 27-year-old Laloma, a Nepali mother.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Maccani’s mother said that although she is grateful that the court case is behind her, no amount of money could bring her son back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

He’d laid his cape over her in the same way the mother had laid her sweater over him.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Sehida Abdurahmanovic, a member of the main association of mothers in Srebrenica, said knowing he died suffering was some solace to victims' families, but his conviction was more enduring.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

And of course, there is the “motherhood penalty” — the phenomenon that women experience slower wage growth and career advancement once they become mothers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Beyond the talk about medical diagnosis, the case has also kicked off a larger social media conversation about how pressured, isolated and overworked mothers feel.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

More ordinary Korean investors joined the frenzy, including stay-at-home mothers, students and retirees cashing in their pensions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Just then, the room mothers arrived with cupcakes and juice.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Playing a childless, 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

I was mothered, in many ways, by my friend Miss Major, a Black trans woman who lives in Little Rock, Ark., and was at the Stonewall riots.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

Missing being mothered has driven her to cultivate her Spanish skills, after a college counselor hints that “focusing on a new syntax of any kind could become an escape hatch into new habits of mind.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 13, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

The desert has mothered magic things before this.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Saar has never stopped making, mothering or teaching.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Paulson was not mothering one single bit, delivering marble-mouthed, bottom-of-the-Ryan-Murphy barrel insults on “All’s Fair.”

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

Would my mothering improve before the baby was born?

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

In her new Netflix movie “Goodbye June,” she’s the one who needs mothering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

There was no point in flying us across the country for next to no mothering.

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!