1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

mama

noun

ˈmä-mə How to pronounce mama (audio)
variants also mamma or momma
Definition of mamanext
as in mom
a female human parent I'm not your mama—you'll have to clean up after yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mama This is what happens when men let their beloved sports be bastardized by Stanley-succin' mama bears. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The pups and their mama will soon be up for adoption, according to Green. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026 The must-read Jackie, arguably the world’s most famous bald eagle mama, died Monday morning after a mysterious illness that veterinarians at the Ojai Raptor Center worked hard to combat. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026 The last step in frying okra that’s crispier than your mama’s is to fry it at the proper temperature. — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mama
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mama
  1. mom
  2. mother
  3. mommy
Noun
  • Ronika evolves as the scene shifts to Blair’s home (which confusingly has the same layout as Zoe’s house in Michael Kramer’s eye-catching scenic design) for the home funeral of their TV mom.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • How protecting his mom created the 'Squatter Hunter' Shelton says none of this started as a business idea.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of mom
Noun
  • Down in the comments section of the original post, fans showered both the mother and daughter with love — and couldn’t agree whether Charlotte looks more like her mother or father.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This prompts Kyle, who has four dorters like Teresa, to share that Portia wrote her college essays about having no memories of life before the cameras, leaving her with guilt as a mother.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of mother
Noun
  • As the Covid-19 pandemic set in, and millions of Americans became trapped in their homes with no access to mommy-and-me events, toddler classes, or respite, Accurso’s channel hit 1 million subscribers.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Even with this additional purchase, my all-in spend still landed right around $100, half the cost of the other diaper bags that baby websites and mommy bloggers insisted were desert-island essentials.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mommy

Browse Nearby Words

maltreats
mama
mama's boy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mama.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mama. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All