parenting

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noun par·ent·ing \ ˈper-ən-tiŋ \

Definition of parenting

1 :the raising of a child by its parents

2 :the act or process of becoming a parent

3 :the taking care of someone in the manner of a parent

See parenting defined for English-language learners

See parenting defined for kids

Examples of parenting in a Sentence

They share the responsibilities of parenting.
as the big day approaches, the expectant couple are starting to get worried about their fitness for parenting

Recent Examples of parenting from the Web

Each time, Gil teaches them a little more about child development and helps them cope with the stresses of work, school, relationships and parenting.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Home Visits Help New Parents Overcome Tough Histories, Raise Healthy Children," 21 Aug. 2017
But in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' ingenious drama about the corrosive nature of nostalgia, these shocking artifacts of the Jim Crow era become conversation pieces, collectibles, spurs for arguments about responsible parenting.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "'Appropriate' A Topical, Dysfunctional Drama At Westport Playhouse," 21 Aug. 2017
The New York Times style section – home of trend pieces about tweens making massive real estate decisions, dog co-parenting, and, of course, the entire Vows column – brings us the latest good argument for class war: rich kid séances.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The Hottest New Rich Kid Trend Is Summoning the Spirits of the Dead," 26 June 2017
In the study, these parenting behaviors did not depend on the care that the mice received as babies—

— andrea marks, Scientific American, "Why Some Mice Seem to Make Bad Parents," 26 June 2017
A pair of Arctic terns show off their parenting skills in the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge at Potter Marsh south of Anchorage.

— bob hallinen, Alaska Dispatch News, "Photos: Arctic terns raise a chick at Potter Marsh," 22 June 2017
As the family grew, so did parenting responsibilities.

— david woods, Indianapolis Star, "How did Butler coach LaVall Jordan make his mark? Pay attention.," 21 June 2017
At the time of the initiative's launch, the center allowed prisoners to access academic and vocational courses and programming on issues like substance abuse, anger management and parenting.

— connor sheets, AL.com, "Alabama plans to supply prisoners with tablet computers, Wi-Fi for education, phone calls," 21 June 2017
And of course, there’s the long-raging debate over whether spanking is good parenting or abusive.

— lilly dancyger, Glamour, "New Study Confirms That Mommy Shaming Is Always a Bad Idea," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parenting.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of parenting

1918

parenting Synonyms

Synonyms

parenthood

Related Words

raising, rearing, upbringing; fatherhood, fathering, paternity; maternity, motherhood, mothering; caregiving, caretaking

PARENTING Defined for English Language Learners

parenting

play

noun

Definition of parenting for English Language Learners

: the process of taking care of children until they are old enough to take care of themselves : the things that parents do to raise a child

Medical Dictionary

parenting

play

noun par·ent·ing \ ˈpar-ənt-iŋ, ˈper- \

medical Definition of parenting

:the raising of a child by its parents

Learn More about parenting

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for parenting Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about parenting

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parenting

Definition of parenting

Examples of parenting in a Sentence

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First Known Use of parenting

parenting Synonyms

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PARENTING Defined for English Language Learners

parenting

Definition of parenting for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

parenting

medical Definition of parenting

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PARENTING Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of parenting for English Language Learners

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parenting

medical Definition of parenting

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