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

A succeeding chapter carries the novel across the ocean to Scotland, where a single mother named Vica, Andreas’s ex-wife, is struggling to raise their daughter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

She then told co-host Willie Geist she will not pass up a moment to speak about her mother.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

His mother, Hannah, said she applied after spotting an advert on social media.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Hargitay has had a great run recently: Earlier this month, she won two Emmys for her self-directed 2025 documentary, “My Mom Jayne,” which memorializes her mother, Jayne Mansfield.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

Brickbane continued, but Clare’s little mind returned to the revelation that his mother was not waiting for him in the Afterlife.

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

“You don’t have mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts and uncles ... we needed help,” said Rudy, who moved to L.A. from New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The overwhelming majority—80 percent—of the recipients of this federal childcare credit are single parents, and the overwhelming majority of them are single mothers.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

“This important work is being accelerated across the Department to support healthy mothers, healthy babies, and strong families,” the spokesperson said.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Several new mothers battled what looked like postpartum depression.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

“It’s also a tremendous privilege, to be a full-time parent. Not all mothers or fathers get the chance to do this.”

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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

"But she also knew that mother is a verb as well as a noun and mothered so many others along the way who needed love and support throughout her life," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2022

The desert has mothered magic things before this.

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 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

But the mothering role has been usurped by Roman’s mother, Tara, with whom the couple lives in Adamsville, N.Y., a small town undergoing a post-COVID gentrification.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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

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