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

Wiseman later said raising his two daughters as a single dad was the greatest challenge of his life. —William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026

The clubs, the dad soon discovers, are able to hit golf balls farther than anyone ever has. —Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

Steven Weber as Julian, a funny, grounded, cool and secure divorced dad. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026

Baking on my own, though, with my trusty dad and his trusty bread maker thousands of miles away, never occurred to me. —Risa Polansky Shiman, Sun Sentinel, 8 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