Mother's Day

American  

noun

1. a day, usually the second Sunday in May, set aside in honor of mothers.

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Mother's Day British  

noun

1. the second Sunday in May, observed as a day in honour of mothers

2. Also called: Mothering Sunday.  the fourth Sunday in Lent, when mothers traditionally receive presents from their children

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How does mothers-day compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Father's Day vs. Mother's Day

Example Sentences

A frustrated landlord has criticised customers who made a booking at his pub for Mother's Day but then failed to turn up.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

My wife and I seldom dine out, typically only on special occasions such as birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and our wedding anniversary.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

So does not sulking when kids don’t invite you on their vacation or forget to send Mother’s Day cards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

On May 10-11, 2024, Earth was hit by the strongest event of this kind in more than two decades, known as the Gannon storm or Mother's Day storm.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025

A1 talked me into writing a Mother’s Day piece, which the Philadelphia Inquirer was kind enough to run simultaneously, since Ma was living in Philly at the time.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride