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

While tournament favourites France have impressed on the field at the World Cup, Deschamps has had to deal with the loss of his mother Ginette.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

From an early age, Dan Tana’s mother made Dan promise not to end up in the restaurant business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

After they separated, my three older brothers and I moved with our mother to a house 10 minutes away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

As we left, I worried that I had sounded more like his mother than his client.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It was the red-shoed girl and her mother, as Clare had seen them yesterday, walking on the road between forests.

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

Among first time mothers, they were most apparent after childbirth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The researchers say these discoveries help fill an important gap in knowledge about women's biology and could eventually improve care for mothers, including efforts to prevent and treat postpartum depression.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

Despite their best efforts, some mothers weren’t successful in getting their daughters interested in “Little House” until Netflix announced its adaptation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

And mothers who choose to have careers have to work doubly hard, says Kalki.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

“The fire also impacted wildlife. During a wildfire, deer can be chased out into traffic, mothers will flee their nests, leaving behind their babies.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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

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

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

Would my mothering improve before the baby was born?

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

“Kin,” set in the segregated South in the 1950s and ’60s, focuses on the crucial importance of mothering, sisterhood and close female friendships in young women’s lives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

After our fertility journey, 10 years of trying, me birthing this piece of art was me mothering my creativity into existence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025

"I have always had a mothering instinct," she says, "but for years I had been suppressing it because it was too painful to go there."

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025

“Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts — did Edward tell you I had lost a child?”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Vocabulary lists containing mother

The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr

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