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

And Natalie is still justifiably concerned about her dad, calling him up during his night from hell and getting no information from him. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

As both a dad and a storyteller, Roth said seeing his kids respond to the show has been deeply rewarding. —Alex Shoemaker, Parents, 10 Nov. 2025

Making my first feature with my dad and uncle producing feels surreal. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025

Stellan is dad to Alexander, Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija, Valter, Ossian and Kolbjörn, six of whom are also in the acting industry. —Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 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