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 of dad

• 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

If retirement is on your mind, check out the stories—including one from a few weeks ago about my mom’s own struggle to collect Social Security benefits after my dad died. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

The windows were built by Phil and his dad, Phil senior. —Kevin Strong, CBS News, 16 May 2026

Teller beautifully plays your average dad, a family man to his core roped into events beyond his control. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 May 2026

In a nutshell, Emilia resents her dad for decades of poor behavior, including a drinking problem that Martínez, who’s been sober for several years now, seems incapable of acknowledging. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026

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