mom jeans

plural noun

1

: women's jeans of an outdated or unflattering style

I was wearing a seriously old-school pair of jeans until last year, when a friend of mine put her foot down. She said, "You'd look 10 years younger … if you got rid of those mom jeans."

—Marion Winik

2

: jeans (as for women or girls) with a high waist and a tapered leg

Baggy pants and high-waisted "mom jeans" are currently No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the list of must-have apparel among teenage girls, the report says.

—Crystal Bell

If you're looking to ease yourself back into denim, a great pair of mom jeans could be the perfect place to start. This popular style is often loose in the leg … , but the tapered ankle is super flattering for a wide range of body shapes.

—Emily Dawes

Examples of mom jeans in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From my comfy mom jeans to my hair straightener, something is always on loan, and during the winter, my stylish cozy basics are the main target of their closet raids. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 16 Jan. 2026

This footwear has been in style since last year and can easily make a nice contrasting outfit with having a dark leather uppers, feature rounded or squared toes that bring a contrasting hardness to mom jeans’ light washes and high-waist fit. —Aaron Royce, InStyle, 7 Jan. 2026

And then, of course, there's Barb, Nancy's faithful friend in mom jeans who was eaten by the creature in an early episode but has lived on in Twitter memes and think pieces. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025

Launched in 2016 due to the popularity of mom jeans, the Wedgie is the ultimate mom jean style (straight leg, high waist, tight in the thigh and butt area), reminding me a lot of what Princess Diana used to wear on her days off from royal duties. —Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mom jeans

• alkenes
• amines
• benzenes
• canteens
• convenes
• cosines
• cuisines
• eumenes
• hellenes
• latrines
• machines
• marines