fatherhood
Americannoun
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the state of being a father.
-
fathers collectively.
-
the qualities or spirit of a father.
noun
Usage
What does fatherhood mean? Fatherhood is the state of being a father. A person enters fatherhood when they become a father. 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. Fatherhood is a gender-specific version of the term parenthood. Less commonly, fatherhood can refer to all fathers collectively, as in You won’t find a better dad in all of fatherhood. Example: People who have not experienced fatherhood probably shouldn’t be so quick to criticize how dads parent their children.
Etymology
Origin of fatherhood
1350–1400; late Middle English faderhode; replacing Middle English faderheed. See father, -hood
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.
During a 2019 appearance on “The Jonathan Ross Show,” Payne opened up about fatherhood and spending time with Bear after the singer and Cole had called it quits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Enter “Dad Brain,” a scintillating if uneven book by Darby Saxbe, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and an expert on fatherhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Clinical psychologists Hillary Halpern and Maureen Perry-Jenkins documented that the transition from single life to fatherhood is often accompanied by a roller coaster of emotions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Yet the evidence is sparse, the science still in its cradle—which may explain why she sticks to motherhood as a baseline, with fatherhood a deviation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It's funny how his fatherhood kicked in at the most inconvenient times.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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.
