parenthood
Americannoun
Usage
What does parenthood mean? Parenthood is the state of being a parent. A person enters parenthood when they become a parent. This most commonly happens when their child is born, but it can also happen through adoption or by marrying or becoming a partner to someone with children. The terms motherhood and fatherhood are gender-specific versions of parenthood. The related noun parenting can mean the same thing as parenthood, but it more commonly refers to the process of raising children or the methods and techniques used to do so, as in I didn’t know anything about parenting before I entered parenthood. Example: People who have not experienced parenthood probably shouldn’t be so quick to criticize how other people parent their children.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parenthood
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It returned this season with a movie that revisits the same characters, all grown up and grappling with parenthood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The shift toward later parenthood reflects a shift in priorities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Payments can only be backdated for three months, meaning some families could be missing out on hundreds of pounds in the fog of new parenthood.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The author is Delano Squires, a black husband and father who focuses on marriage and parenthood at the Heritage Foundation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
They had played a similar trick with the instinct of parenthood.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
