mama

noun

ma·​ma ˈmä-mə How to pronounce mama (audio)
 chiefly British  mə-ˈmä
variants or less commonly or momma
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.
On Wednesday, May 14, the 38-year-old actress shared a carousel of snaps that included rare footage of her daughter Juno Rose Diana, 5, encouraging her mama before Turner-Smith headed out to Tory Burch’s store opening in Beverly Hills, California. Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 15 May 2025 Here's how other stars are celebrating the mamas in their lives. Edward Segarra, USA Today, 11 May 2025 Below—just in time for Mother's Day—read just a sampling of the heartfelt things these guys have said about their mama. Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 10 May 2025 An update shared on Thursday by the poster shows the proud cat mama feeding her little kittens, each one of them featuring one of the colors found in their mom's fur, ranging from orange, to gray, and black. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025 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 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

mama

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

More from Merriam-Webster on mama

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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