helicopter parent

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of helicopter parent

: a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child

Recent Examples of helicopter parent from the Web

Big Little Lies trafficked in its own cliches — helicopter parents playing schoolyard politics, the messy private lives of the obscenely rich — but its most satisfying moments involved women who saw, and supported, one another.

— ellen gray, Philly.com, "'Sharp Objects' with Amy Adams isn't another 'Big Little Lies' (and it shouldn't have to be)," 5 July 2018
Nothing the Carters said approached LaVar Ball-level outrageousness, but helicopter parents are best to avoid landing in the headlines.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Wendell Carter Jr.'s parents should be thanking Mike Krzyzewski, not criticizing him," 27 June 2018
Last week, a study published in the journal Developmental Psychology found that helicopter parents — those who hover over their children — can diminish their children’s ability to regulate emotions and behavior.

— elizabeth chuck /, NBC News, "How much risk is good for kids? Parents make the case for more adventurous childhoods," 26 June 2018
Sorry, helicopter parents, but your fledgling college student could be cutting you loose.

— steve annear, BostonGlobe.com, "No need to call dad: Northeastern students can use Alexa to answer school-related questions," 22 June 2018
Welcome to 2018, when people are living so long that baby boomers, the original helicopter parents, have helicopters of their own.

— beth teitell, BostonGlobe.com, "Meet the Helicopter Parents: They’re 90, and the kids — they’re 65," 10 May 2018
June also has to deal with Aunt Lydia, who is a helicopter parent.

— refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: Helicopter Aunts," 9 May 2018
His book gives us parents a bit of hope and more importantly, encouragement to play an active role in our children’s educations without becoming helicopter parents.

— teresa m. pelham, courant.com, "Overlooking Creativity Of Children Itself An Epidemic," 28 Apr. 2018
And while schools — college campuses, even — are rife with horror stories of helicopter parents, the damage from this overwrought behavior is particularly jaw-dropping on the courts and playing fields.

— ana veciana-suarez, miamiherald, "Misbehaving parents need a time-out from youth sports | Miami Herald," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'helicopter parent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.