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Synonyms

daddy

American  
[dad-ee] / ˈdæd i /

noun

plural

daddies

  1. Informal. a diminutive of dad.

  2. Slang. sugar daddy.

  3. Slang. an affectionate or familiar term of address to a boyfriend or male romantic partner, especially if he is older.

verb (used with object)

daddied, daddying

  1. Chiefly Appalachian. to father or sire.

idioms

  1. daddy of all, the greatest or most notable example of.

    the daddy of all motorcycles.
daddy British  
/ ˈdædɪ /

noun

  1. an informal word for father

  2. slang the supreme or finest example

    the daddy of them all

  3. slang the dominant male in a group; boss; top man

"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
daddy More Idioms  

  1. see big daddy; granddaddy of them all; sugar daddy.

Etymology

Origin of daddy

First recorded in 1490–1500; dad 1 + -y 2

Explanation

Daddy is an affectionate nickname for your father. For many babies, daddy is one of the earliest words they learn to speak. Many young children call their fathers daddy, and the word is believed to come from baby talk, or the initial sounds — da da — that a baby or toddler tends to make when she's first learning to speak. It's less common for a grown person to call her dad daddy, although some people use the childish nickname throughout their lives.

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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.

It’s an uncle, daddy, a sister, brother, kids everywhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

In the end, Lachlan received the long-sought kiss from daddy while James discovered, through an assortment of leaks, how much his mother and father couldn’t stomach him.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

Villarreal: We’ve talked a little bit about we’re working through, for lack of a better term, some daddy issues during the making of this.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

"My daddy died in 2013, and on his death bed he asked us to keep going and don't let this go," he said.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

Football players had Time Out, too; he saw it on TV when his daddy watched the Patriots.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

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.