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Synonyms

dad

1 American  
[dad] / dæd /

noun

  1. a person’s father or one’s father.

  2. a person who is corny or embarrassing in the way that a father figure might be.

    He was being such a dad when he told that story.

  3. a term of endearment used to refer to a man or boy who is admired.

    A bunch of teens commented “HI DAD!” on the rapper’s post.

adjective

  1. corny or embarrassing in the way that a father figure might be: the most dad story ever.

    a dad joke;

    the most dad story ever.

  2. handsome or stylish; amazing; to be admired.

    Those shoes are totally dad.

verb (used with object)

  1. to act as a father toward; act paternally toward.

    Stop dadding me about my grades!

  2. to refer to (an admired man or boy) as “dad”.

    My friends dad me whenever I look good.

verb (used without object)

  1. to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally.

    He dads like a champ.

  2. to refer to an admired man or boy as “dad”.

    They dad whenever a new photo pops up on their feeds.
dad 2 American  
[dad] / dæd /

interjection

Informal.

  1. God (used in combination in mild oaths).

    dad-blamed; dad-gummed.
dad 3 American  
[dad] / dæd /

noun

Scot. and North England.

  1. a solid blow or knock.

  2. a large slice, lump, or portion.

ḍad 4 American  
[dahd] / dɑd /

noun

  1. the 15th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

dad British  
/ dæd /

noun

  1. an informal word for father

"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 dad1

First recorded in 1530–40; probably originally baby talk dah-dah

Origin of dad2

First recorded in 1670–80; euphemism for God; Gad 1 ( def. )

Origin of dad3

First recorded in 1710–20; probably variant of dab 1

Origin of ḍad4

From Arabic

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.

“My dad told me everything about the Air Force,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

‘I was shoveling sidewalks at 8 years old’: I’m a 73-year-old boomer dad with two kids.

From MarketWatch

He helps with physical care for his mum, as well as supporting his dad with things such as cooking dinner and cleaning the home.

From BBC

When she realized Daddy wasn’t her biological dad, several things clicked into place—but several other things swung free and set her spinning for a while.

From Literature

“You’re going to ask your dad to help you with your science project this weekend, right?”

From Literature

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.