mother-in-law

noun

moth·​er-in-law ˈmə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ 

ˈmət͟h-rən-,

ˈmə-t͟hərn-

plural mothers-in-law ˈmə-t͟hər-zən-ˌlȯ 

1

: the mother of one's spouse

2

archaic : stepmother

Examples of mother-in-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Patterson was found guilty in July of killing her mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, in a case that has been globally followed and dubbed the Leongatha mushroom murders. —Alasdair Pal, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025

Instead of listening, her mother-in-law dismissed every point and painted herself as a victim. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

Markel’s mother, Ruth, had harsh words for his son’s former mother-in-law in a victim impact statement after the guilty verdict was read. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025

Recently, Sanchez posted another emotional message on Instagram, this time after her mother-in-law, Jacklyn Bezos, passed away at the age of 78. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mother-in-law

• avoirdupois
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada

Kids Definition

mother-in-law

noun

moth·​er-in-law

ˈmət͟h-(ə-)rən-ˌlȯ,

ˈmət͟h-ərn-ˌlȯ

plural mothers-in-law

ˈmət͟h-ər-zən-

: the mother of one's husband or wife