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

Mostly in the Palisades with intermittent sabbaticals from my dad. —Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026

First-year Nuggets coach David Adelman got his start in the NBA as a Timberwolves player development assistant under his dad, Hall of Famer Rick Adelman. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026

When Alexander’s dad attempted to intervene, he too was cut in the left hand by his son, according to cops. —Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026

Walker Halls & Ava Bozzi Walker, Matt Bomer's son with husband Simon Halls, attended prom 2026 with Ava, who is Billie Lourd's sister (her father, Bruce Bozzi, is married to Billie's dad Bryan). —Lindy Segal, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 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