mama

noun

ma·​ma ˈmä-mə How to pronounce mama (audio)
chiefly British mə-ˈmä
variants or less commonly mamma or momma
Synonyms of mamanext
1
: mother
2
slang : wife, woman

Examples of mama in a Sentence

I'm not your mama—you'll have to clean up after yourself.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the mama cat left the nest to get some food and water, Bitsy sat on all the baby kittens. Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026 The oldest of her three sons, Fernando is one of the prouder mama’s boys on the planet. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026 This is somebody’s mama, get her out of here! Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 Human wildlife conflicts have made headlines in California recently, with a bear refusing to leave a basement for weeks in Altadena and a mama bear dubbed Blondie crossing paths last month with a woman walking her dog in Monrovia. Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mama

Word History

Etymology

baby talk

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mama was in 1579

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mama. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

mama

noun
ma·​ma
variants also mamma or momma
ˈmäm-ə

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