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

Meanwhile, Matt was in proud dad mode as he was photographed escorting his middle daughter up the steps of the American Museum of Natural History. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 Nov. 2026

Brobeck also revealed that when the kids returned to their dad’s custody, Simpson called Brobeck’s wife to thank the couple for their help. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2026

The formation of the band also brought Mandrell together with her future husband Ken Dudney, after her dad hired him as the drummer. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026

Her mother stayed behind for her dad while Suarez started her run without them, the sources said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 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