parenting 1 of 2

Definition of parentingnext
as in parenthood
the caring for a child by its parents as the big day approaches, the expectant couple are starting to get worried about their fitness for parenting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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parenting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of parent

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 parenting
Noun
Cassie Shortsleeve is a skilled journalist with over a decade of experience reporting for the country's top health, travel, parenting, and lifestyle magazines. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2026 The couple have tended to keep their kids out of the spotlight, sharing rare tidbits about their parenting journeys in interviews. Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
To watch them at times, in fact, is to watch a kid parenting a parent. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026 Advice from parenting advocates also reflects similar concerns. Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for parenting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parenting
Noun
  • Between rising costs, vanishing support systems and nonstop scrutiny, parenthood, as Ej Dickson describes in One Bad Mother, has started to feel less like a choice than a trap.
    Micah Barkley, Bloomberg, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Additionally, Robinhood can cross-sell other financial products to guardians and minors, with Compass Point noting the company's target user base of Millennials & Gen Zs is already closer to prime parenthood age than Schwab's average account holder.
    Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Perhaps the easiest way to start an argument online is to post a video of a mother raising her child.
    Micah Barkley, Bloomberg, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Political parties were disincentivized from forming coalitions—which might have unified the anti-Orbán vote—by incrementally raising the threshold required for alliances to enter Parliament.
    Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Employers are now also obliged to provide maternity, paternity and paid sick leave from the moment an employee joins.
    Ian King, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
  • To survive, hospitals have cut expensive services like maternity care, pediatric critical care and chemotherapy.
    Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The nurturing Moon moves through your 7th House of Cooperation, highlighting needs in close bonds.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Right-wing political leaders in Hungary, however, have spent years nurturing relationships with American conservatives through a host of fellowships, conferences, and partnerships to engender that reality.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026
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, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Parenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parenting. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

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