as in mom
a female human parent
he dreaded telling his mother that her favorite figurine had gotten broken
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in maternal
of, relating to, or characteristic of a mother
she often offered to babysit for friends, hoping to satisfy her mother urges until she had children of her own
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to have
to bring forth from the womb
I hope to mother at least one child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to nurse
to attend to the needs and comforts of
mothered the patients with chicken soup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 mother
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 6 July 2024
His mother, Ebbony Jackson, confirmed the death to TMZ.
—Bruce Haring, Deadline, 6 July 2024
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Beginning with Ethel Cain, mothers will be mothering all throughout the year.
—James Factora, Them, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother
Noun
Authorities on Saturday confirmed to News 12 New Jersey that the mother later died at the hospital, but did not provide an update on her kids’ conditions.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 6 July 2024
His mother, Ebbony Jackson, confirmed the death to TMZ.
—Bruce Haring, Deadline, 6 July 2024
Verb
Dana is really mothering to her fullest at the top of the hour.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Beginning with Ethel Cain, mothers will be mothering all throughout the year.
—James Factora, Them, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother
Noun
-
Two years into his love story with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce is shedding more light than ever on their romance and even the pop superstar’s similarities to his beloved mom.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Kathy was middle-aged, probably closer to my mom’s age than mine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Octavia Spencer was really leaning into those maternal instincts after playing the titular role in Ma.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
12 Aug. 2025
-
By 2017, the maternal mortality rate for young millennial women had more than doubled since the baby-boomer generation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Rapids, who sat in 10th when Mihailovic departed, have seven games to go in the regular season.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Padres relievers had the better game, but the Kershaw-Vásquez result was a two-run deficit.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
With backup Marcus Mariota also nursing a lower leg strain, quarterbacks Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman will handle the offense for Washington.—
Kyle Hightower,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Peter Phillips, the son of Britain’s Princess Anne and eldest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II, announced his engagement to nurse Harriet Sperling on Friday.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Jerry Mickelson has been producing and promoting concerts, theatrical productions, special events and a wide variety of live entertainment programming for over 53 years, since co-founding Jam Productions.—
Jerry Mickelson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
-
The words can appear to arrive from elsewhere, produced by an elevated consciousness outside our own.—
Joshua Bennett,
The Atlantic,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While the frontrunners battled it out, Dulcy Caylor quietly delivered a huge hit on beam, posting a massive 13.850, and Simone Rose continued a strong day on vault.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
-
SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The latest Levi’s drop, courtesy of Beyoncé, has birthed a bounty of rumors surrounding ACT III.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The company successfully birthed three dire wolves, two males named Romulus and Remus and one female, Khaleesi.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share