mother

1 of 4

noun (1)

moth·​er ˈmə-t͟hər How to pronounce mother (audio)
1
a
: a female parent
She's the mother of three small children.
b(1)
: a woman in authority
specifically : the superior of a religious community of women
Mother Teresa
(2)
: an old or elderly woman
Mother Hubbard
2
: source, origin
necessity is the mother of invention
3
: maternal tenderness or affection
all my mother came into mine eyes and gave me up to tearsWilliam Shakespeare
4
[short for motherfucker] sometimes vulgar : motherfucker
5
: something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale
the mother of all construction projects
the mother of all ocean liners
motherhood noun
motherless adjective
motherlessness noun

mother

2 of 4

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or being a mother
b
: bearing the relation of a mother
2
: derived from or as if from one's mother
3
: acting as or providing parental stock
used without reference to sex

mother

3 of 4

verb

mothered; mothering ˈmə-t͟hə-riŋ How to pronounce mother (audio)
ˈmət͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1
a
: to give birth to
b
: to give rise to : produce
2
: to care for or protect like a mother

mother

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural mothers
1
: a slimy or gelatinous mass or film that contains bacteria, yeasts, or both, that forms in liquids during the process of fermentation, and that is often used as a starter (see starter entry 1 sense 3b) in the production of certain food and beverage products:
a
: mother of vinegar
After about 2 months, when the alcohol has acidified, or when a taste of the vinegar makes your mouth pucker, it's ready to strain and bottle. (You can save the mother to begin a new batch.)Tejal Rao
b
: SCOBY
A kombucha "mother" floats atop a vat of the fermented tea looking like a brown, gelatinous disk of bacteria and yeast, which it is.Melissa Nann Burke
The brand's approach includes straining out the mother, leaving the kombucha with more of the mouthfeel of traditional teas and other mainstream beverages.Dale Buss
2
: a dough of fermented flour and water used as a starter especially in baking : mother dough
Each day pieces are taken and used to create new loaves, and the mother is fed to survive.Sophie Witts

Examples of mother in a Sentence

Adjective she often offered to babysit for friends, hoping to satisfy her mother urges until she had children of her own Verb She mothered two sons but no daughters. I hope to mother at least one child.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Humans, however, evolved to be cooperative breeders, with the father and other non-mother caregivers, such as siblings and relatives, involved in child-rearing. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2013
Verb
Suzanne Shepherd, the actress who mothered iconic mob wives in Goodfellas and The Sopranos, has died. EW.com, 19 Nov. 2023 After arriving in 2005 and mothering several cubs, 128 Grazer has become notorious for being one of the most ruthlessly protective bears at the park. Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2023 In her lifetime, Neka mothered three cubs, all in 2013 — and each of them is now living at other accredited zoos across the country. Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023 Fifteen-month-old Helina was born on May 27, 2022, along with brothers Roman and Nicolas, to mother Amur tiger Zoya and father Pavel. Miranda Jeyaretnam, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2023 For Ann especially, Minh’s death feels sharp: The family matriarch had effectively mothered her into adulthood, as Huong was often absent, working several jobs to support them. Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 4 July 2023 The first houses were named after these trans women who were mothering a community that was only for women. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 28 June 2023 Daughter of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers pens personal letter to mother 09:03 The couple met while attending Alcorn A&M College in 1950. Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Alicia Alford, Gisela Perez, CBS News, 12 June 2023 Tanisha is, in fact, just Davina’s little sister, although she is forced to mother her. Kyesha Jennings, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2021
Noun
The untitled French thriller series revolves around a young mother on the run finds an unexpected opportunity to bounce back by becoming a picker in a prestigious flower farm in Provence. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Yoli chides her father about his patriarchal attitude and takes her mother to task for avoiding difficult conversations. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 But that did little to quell the growing speculation around Middleton, and the next evidence to emerge — a grainy image of the princess in a car with her mother — fueled the fire. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 Pamela, a high school student, went missing on October 16, 1970, after going to a mall to run an errand for her mother, according to police. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 Of the hundreds of children born to mothers on Trikafta, only a few of the babies had CF themselves. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024 Kate has been twice spotted traveling by car in recent weeks, first on March 4 with her mother Carole Middleton and again last Monday with Prince William. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 If these daughters have aligned with their mother, they might have been lied to and their own spirits and relationships poisoned. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 The mothers in this organization not only support each other, but also take a vested interest in each other’s children. Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu Reprints, STAT, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Adjective, and Verb

Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ

Noun (2)

archaic mother dregs, lees; akin to Middle Dutch moeder dregs

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mother was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mother

Cite this Entry

“Mother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mother

1 of 3 noun
moth·​er ˈmət͟h-ər How to pronounce mother (audio)
1
a
: a female parent
b
: a woman in authority
especially : a nun in charge of a convent
2
: an elderly woman
3
: cause entry 1 sense 1, origin
necessity is the mother of invention
motherhood noun
motherless adjective

mother

2 of 3 adjective
1
a
: of or relating to a mother
mother love
b
: being in the relation of a mother to others
a mother country
2
: gotten from or as if from one's mother

mother

3 of 3 verb
mothered; mothering ˈmət͟h-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce mother (audio)
: to be or act as mother to

Medical Definition

mother

noun
moth·​er ˈmət͟h-ər How to pronounce mother (audio)
: a female parent

More from Merriam-Webster on mother

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