mama

noun

ma·​ma ˈmä-mə 

chiefly British mə-ˈmä

variants or less commonly mamma or momma

1

: mother

2

slang : wife, woman

Synonyms of mama

• mom
• mother
• mommy

Examples of mama in a Sentence

I'm not your mama—you'll have to clean up after yourself.

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the course of the novel, Sofia and Rafa both urge mama to seek support with abuelo, with friends' parents, and even with baba. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Hall’s recipe uses a classic combination of stone-ground grits, milk, water, and salt, but the Nashville native’s cooking technique may be different than the one your mama taught you. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2026

But with Earle coming into the ring with fighting words, who says a mama bear can’t bite back? — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Staying Cozy Rani and her mama rocked matching cream coats in winter 2024 while walking hand-in-hand on a cold trip. — Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

baby talk

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mama

• mama's boy
• sugar mama

Rhymes for mama

• brahma
• chama
• comma
• dama
• drama
• gama
• lama
• llama
• mamma
• momma
• rama
• sama

Kids Definition

mama

noun

ma·​ma

variants also mamma or momma

ˈmäm-ə

: mother entry 1 sense 1a