mama

noun

ma·​ma ˈmä-mə How to pronounce mama (audio)
 chiefly British  mə-ˈmä
variants or less commonly or momma
1
: mother
2
slang : wife, woman

Examples of mama in a Sentence

I'm not your mama—you'll have to clean up after yourself.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
What happens next is a woman in the very front looks all the long way back to my mama and says: Your turn. Literary Hub, 16 June 2025 But instead of meddlesome mamas making matches, the dating game now more closely resembles the stock market, with daters’ valuations charting up and down. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 15 June 2025 Meanwhile, the Yiddishe mama had made a comeback, in a sinister new form. Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 Emaciated and exhausted, this brave mama still refused to leave her surviving babies behind. Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for mama

Word History

Etymology

baby talk

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mama was in 1579

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mama. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

mama

noun
ma·​ma
variants also mamma or momma
ˈmäm-ə

More from Merriam-Webster on mama

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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