mother-in-law

noun

moth·​er-in-law ˈmə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ How to pronounce mother-in-law (audio)
ˈmət͟h-rən-,
ˈmə-t͟hərn-
plural mothers-in-law ˈmə-t͟hər-zən-ˌlȯ How to pronounce mother-in-law (audio)
1
: the mother of one's spouse
2
archaic : stepmother

Examples of mother-in-law in a Sentence

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.
Stacy Clark said his mother-in-law, Patricia Penelton, died in the church. Michael Phillis, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025 In the video, the expectant mother, 33, sat across from her mother-in-law with a platter of sandwiches on her lap, voicing the words of reality star Tammy Slaton. Kayla Grant, People.com, 16 May 2025 Tuesday, potential jurors gathered in a Northern California courthouse, more than an hour west of where Serafini is accused of shooting Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood Spohr, his father and mother-in-law, at their Lake Tahoe-area home in June 2021. Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025 Neither his wife nor his conspiracy theorist of a mother-in-law (The Penguin‘s Deidre O’Connell) approves of Joe’s newfound obsession about politics. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother-in-law

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mother-in-law was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Mother-in-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother-in-law. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on mother-in-law

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