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

• daddy
• father
• old man
• pa
• papa
• poppa
• pater [chiefly British]
• pop
• sire

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

Russian assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and her boisterous dad, Red Guardian (David Harbour), the foster family of Black Widow, are front and center. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 May 2025

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's dad, John, has been banned from attending future games. —Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

His dad handed over the company reins within a few years and went back into retirement. —Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Cole’s dad, Clinton, works as an oil field services sales manager. —Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 1 May 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