in loco parentis

[ in loh-koh pah-ren-tees; English in loh-koh puh-ren-tis ]

adverbLatin.
  1. in the place or role of a parent.

Words Nearby in loco parentis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for in loco parentis

in loco parentis

/ Latin (ɪn ˈləʊkəʊ pəˈrɛntɪs) /


  1. in place of a parent: said of a person acting in a parental capacity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for in loco parentis

in loco parentis

[ (in loh-koh puh-ren-tis) ]


To assume the duties and responsibilities of a parent: “Because Jack's parents were out of town, his sister acted in loco parentis and punished him for staying out so late.” From Latin, meaning “in the place of a parent.”

Notes for in loco parentis

At one time, colleges and universities acted in loco parentis for their students, but this is no longer true.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.