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
Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Erica was a happy, bubbly and vivacious child who frequently went to church with her mother and loved Barney & Friends, Harrison said.
—Caroline Zimmerman
may 18, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
Henry Homeyer, The Providence Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
Barrington Elementary For more than a decade, Claudia Lopez joined other Barrington Elementary School mothers to cook a meal of turkey, potato salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chocoflan for Thanksgiving.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mother
Noun
But the whole community knew that Preston was waiting on insurance money from the accident, including Alamo’s mother.
—Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Erica was a happy, bubbly and vivacious child who frequently went to church with her mother and loved Barney & Friends, Harrison said.
—Caroline Zimmerman
may 18, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
Verb
One way to combat that, as a gardener, is to start plants by seed instead of buying plants that someone else has started, watered and mothered for months.
—Henry Homeyer, The Providence Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
Barrington Elementary For more than a decade, Claudia Lopez joined other Barrington Elementary School mothers to cook a meal of turkey, potato salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chocoflan for Thanksgiving.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother
Noun
-
Those split levels of child and adult consciousness give the film a certain piquancy, a little gap where drama can spark in a story where almost nothing really happens except a kid takes a plane ride, or several plane rides, with his mom.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
The little girl was holding her mom’s hand when three men opened fire on a rival group near Southern Blvd.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
To better understand the hybrid pigs and their genetic traits, scientists analyzed mitochondrial DNA passed down through maternal lineages, along with nuclear genetic markers, from 191 wild boars and 10 domestic pigs collected between 2015 and 2018.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
22 May 2026
-
Officials said the children were reunited with their maternal grandmother.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Today’s draftniks have access to endless high-def broadcasts and custom compilations showing a prospect’s every snap.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Cleveland had the advantage offensively against Detroit but won’t against New York, San Antonio or Oklahoma City.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Agnes is nursing a mocktail when Daisy notices her alone, which is convenient because Agnes has some menstrual pads to give her.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
-
In fact, the Central Florida Zoo is playing a hero’s role in this heartbreaking rescue, following official guidelines from the national Association of Zoos and Aquariums in trying to nurse the sloths back to health.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Nectar is a sweet, syrupy liquid produced in the blossoms, stems and leaves of many plants.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Through the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has produced numbers not seen at this stage of the postseason in roughly 50 years.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Little Caesars Arena was as energetic as its been all season, and Detroit didn’t deliver, sending Pistons fans for an early exit.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Hosted by Shania Twain, the award show delivered on emotional moments, fun surprises and plenty of performances.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Shooting in the real homes, clubs and neighborhoods that birthed these characters strips away distracting artifice, allowing the slowburn emotional stakes to take over.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Has Season 50 birthed a new era?—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
