daddy

noun

dad·​dy ˈda-dē 

plural daddies

1

: father sense 1a

2

: granddaddy sense 2

3

a

slang : a male lover

b

slang : an attractive middle-aged man

c

informal : sugar daddy

Note: Early usage of the term daddy in the senses referring to a male lover and a sugar daddy has origins in African American English. Usage has since broadened in meaning and become widespread.

Synonyms of daddy

• dad
• father

Examples of daddy in a Sentence

I stopped calling my father “Daddy” because I thought it sounded childish.

Cook's Tours can be considered the daddy of all organized travel tours.

Recent Examples on the Web

There are, needless to say, daddy issues aplenty here — with Daddy himself out of the fray, retired to a grandly crumbling rural estate, grieving the deaths of his young daughter and devoted brother, and very gradually writing his memoirs. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026

This was two old pals knowing exactly how to approach each other, like Christmas With the Martins and the Sinatras for Tina Fey fans — if only because Tracy Jordan being Cher’s secret baby daddy feels like a season-five 30 Rock joke. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026

Six thousand dollars was twice what his daddy made in a year. —Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026

At least Tommy gets a love interest this time around, thanks to a winsome sheriff’s daughter (daddy issues in a franchise all about mommy issues? —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing daddy

• big daddy
• daddy longlegs
• mack daddy
• sugar daddy

Rhymes for daddy

• addy
• caddie
• caddy
• gaddi
• laddie
• paddy
• granddaddy

Kids Definition

daddy

noun

dad·​dy ˈdad-ē 

plural daddies

: father entry 1 sense 1a