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

On the second episode Caitlin’s dad gets his ears pierced for the first time. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

In March 2025, Kai’s dad defended his daughter live on TMZ after her runway debut for Valentino during Paris Fashion Week. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026

My dad’s 60th birthday was coming up, and as an avid whisky drinker with a particularly sharp nose, his dream trip has always been to explore the coastline of Islay, a Scottish island famed worldwide for its smoky, peated single malt whiskies. — Hayley Domin, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2026

And hopefully that group would include Jennings’s own two college-age kids, who grew up watching their dad rack up big money night after night just by being himself. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 14 Sep. 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