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

Princess Charlotte is a near carbon copy of her dad, Prince William, in new birthday portrait. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 May 2026

Playing Elle Fanning’s pro-wrestler dad on Margo’s Got Money Troubles feels like a good avenue for his first nomination in a comedy category. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 May 2026

Scott grew up watching a lot of sports on television with his dad. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

Figuring out technology for my dad at a young age well equipped me to surf the internet effortlessly. —Ohanna Carrascoza, CNBC, 1 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