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
In a post on the AITA subreddit, the original poster (OP) explained that her mother-in-law organized her baby shower and asked her to make the invitations.
—
Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Chong Wen, a 33-year-old who works at a local bank in Guangzhou, recently purchased several items from Louis Vuitton, including a classic Neverfull for her mother-in-law and a monogrammed wallet for her husband.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
My mother-in-law, who flies in from out of town, even helps out.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
My mother-in-law is a very generous lady.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother-in-law
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Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Chong Wen, a 33-year-old who works at a local bank in Guangzhou, recently purchased several items from Louis Vuitton, including a classic Neverfull for her mother-in-law and a monogrammed wallet for her husband.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
My mother-in-law, who flies in from out of town, even helps out.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
My mother-in-law is a very generous lady.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother-in-law
Cite this Entry
“Mother-in-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother-in-law. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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