as in motherhood
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1
as in having
to bring forth from the womb
I hope to mother at least one child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nursing
to attend to the needs and comforts of
mothered the patients with chicken soup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mothering
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Born in Switzerland in 1924, Yo lived life on her own terms, defying expectations around sexuality, mothering, aging, and even death.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
But still, Fernandez’s mothering instinct told her something was very wrong.
—Luis Pascal, Miami Herald, 28 Nov. 2025
Over half of my years of mothering have been as a single mom.
—Stephanie Land, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Or the crib with a dip alongside its edge, which Roe incorporated based on memories of leaning over the side of the crib in the early days of mothering.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
That’s not a typical mothering experience.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
And as the following selections from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society show, prayer can bring out more of how God is mothering, comforting, and preserving us right here and now.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2025
Noun
In response to the mothering of a sister, a brother has options—resist, lash out, put up with it, become utterly dependent on it.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Born in Switzerland in 1924, Yo lived life on her own terms, defying expectations around sexuality, mothering, aging, and even death.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
But still, Fernandez’s mothering instinct told her something was very wrong.
—Luis Pascal, Miami Herald, 28 Nov. 2025
Over half of my years of mothering have been as a single mom.
—Stephanie Land, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Or the crib with a dip alongside its edge, which Roe incorporated based on memories of leaning over the side of the crib in the early days of mothering.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
That’s not a typical mothering experience.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
Key strands of the film are about mothering with laser focus on the parents played by Okonedo and Mallen.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
And as the following selections from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society show, prayer can bring out more of how God is mothering, comforting, and preserving us right here and now.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothering
Noun
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Health & Wellness Doctors blamed her symptoms on motherhood.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Conservative influencer Isabel Brown has alleged that The View refused her request to appear on the talk show to defend herself after the cohosts slammed her on the air over the 28-year-old's recent remarks about motherhood.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition to having those 14 months taken off his overall sentence, Combs is also likely eligible for a reduction in his sentence under the First Step Act and by participating in a drug rehabilitation program.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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In short, having patrons pump their own gas allowed gas stations to remain competitive.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eugenio Leiva sat alone at a table by the bar, nursing a whiskey.—
Natalia Favre,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Indians pitcher Katelynn Mathews, who is nursing an injured right ankle, entered the game in the second inning and earned the win to improve to 9-0.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, said the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF, launched two drone strikes on Al-Jabalain Hospital in the White Nile province, hitting an operating theater and a maternity ward.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Unsurprisingly, Meghan's formal maternity wear was as chic as the rest of her royal outfits.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic is not the only AI lab producing models with these kinds of capabilities, or considering similar release strategies to try to ensure cyber defenders have access to these systems before hackers do.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Welsh proved that in cultures in the lab, CF cells accepted the healthy DNA and started producing normal CFTR.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The podcaster Joe Rogan has credited BPC-157 with healing a case of elbow tendonitis in two weeks.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Instead of mundane morning interactions, psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk suggests that offices should engage in joyful group activities like dance parties to foster camaraderie and support, especially for colleagues healing from trauma, while empowering employees and cultivating community.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The league and its clubs are actively delivering initiatives within local communities to address gender‑based abuse, including through the wider work of the Premier League Foundation and the funding of pilot projects.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Modern agriculture depends on precise timing of delivering nutrients to plants.—
Aya S. Chacar,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Either that, or these brown dwarfs will collide and merge, birthing an entirely new star with enough mass to trigger nuclear fusion.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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Another backlash player is the Tradwife movement with its viral vibe of birthing lots of babies with no pain killers, making bread from scratch, and selling homespun merch on Instagram.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothering. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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