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

But when Queen Sofia posed for photos with her granddaughters, then 12 and 11 years old, Queen Letizia appeared to intervene, reaching in to remove her mother-in-law’s hand from Princess Leonor’s shoulder. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026

Rose is now in southeast Asia, but after picturing what customs would say, Mystic stayed back with her mother-in-law. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Moghnie’s mother-in-law is still there, for instance, her home still standing, despite damaged walls and shattered windows from nearby bombings. — Ava Bambuck, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

And whereas traditionally, a woman’s mother-in-law took charge, strictly enforcing the rules, many women now rely instead on their own mothers. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026

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