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

Layne had eight more years with his dad thanks to the transplant. —Kelsie Hoffman, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

Matthew is a dad to three kids Matthew shares three children with his wife, realtor Heather Lillard. —Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

My parents grew up a couple of blocks away and my late dad, Tom Robinson, attended Boy Scouts in the church’s garden-level gymnasium. —Malik Robinson, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025

Thinking that my little girl might not have her dad broke my heart. —Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 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