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Synonyms

ma

1 American  
[mah] / mɑ /

noun

Informal.

  1. mother.

Ma 2 American  
[mah] / mɑ /

noun

  1. Yo-Yo born 1955, U.S. cellist, born in Paris of Chinese descent.

MA 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Massachusetts (approved especially for use with zip code).

  2. Psychology. mental age.

mA 4 American  

  1. milliampere; milliamperes.

M.A. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Master of Arts.

M.A. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Psychology. mental age.

  2. Military Academy.

MA 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Massachusetts

  2. Master of Arts

  3. psychol mental age

  4. Military Academy

  5. Morocco (international car registration)

"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
Ma 2 British  
/ mɑː /

noun

  1. Yo-Yo (ˈjəʊjəʊ). born 1955, US cellist, born in France to Chinese parents

"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
ma 3 British  
/ mɑː /

noun

  1. an informal word for mother 1

"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
ma 4 British  

abbreviation

  1. Morocco

"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

Etymology

Origin of ma1

Shortened variant of mama

Origin of M.A.5

From Latin Magister Artium

Vocabulary lists containing ma

Scrabble: Two-Letter Words

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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.

"Good afternoon ma, I have not seen the hospital items"

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

Half a century later in L.A., the 1950s geometric abstractions of John McLaughlin are especially notable, exploiting the Japanese principle of spatial intervals known as ma.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

“Think Marination ma kai with a 98118 twist …” they say on Facebook.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2022

After he finished, I saw a man who looked to be a local farmer approach him and ask: "Laih al-nar lay Al-Amrikan? Leh ma tad'o laihom bi al-hidaya?"

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2022

“C’est là ma gouvernante!” said she, pointing to me, and addressing her nurse; who answered—

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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.