dad

noun

ˈdad 

plural dads

informal

: a male parent : father entry 1 sense 1

My mom swam and played soccer, my dad surfed, and my brother played basketball.

—Shannon Griggs

Don't get me wrong, I'm a good dad who maintains a cheerful household and greets parenthood with a smile and an open heart.

—Ron Harris

—often used as a name

When is Dad getting home?

Dad, can you give me a ride?

Synonyms

• father
• daddy

Examples of dad in a Sentence

Her mom and dad both said she can't go.

my dad did most of the cooking for dinner because he usually got home earlier than my mom

Recent Examples on the Web

Jeffrey Katzenberg—film producer, former DreamWorks CEO, and founding partner of tech investment firm WndrCo—is, perhaps most importantly, a dad and a grandfather. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025

During his dad's career, Flynn stepped out to support Jones at several red carpet events. —Vandana Pawa, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025

The best scene partner and dad in the world. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025

One of the three siblings had been with their dad at the time of the incident and was placed in police custody following the shootout, officials said at the time. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably baby talk

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dad

• dad bod
• dad joke
• deadbeat dad

Rhymes for dad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had
• lad

Kids Definition

dad

noun

ˈdad 

informal

: father entry 1 sense 1a