helicopter parent

British

noun

a parent who is excessively involved in the life of his or her child

"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

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.

“I’m not a helicopter parent, but he’s our only son.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 17, 2023

“You can still be involved and in control without being overbearing or without being a helicopter parent or being a jerk,” Craig said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2022

When my father was a small boy in Galveston, Texas, with no siblings to play with or anything like a helicopter parent regimenting his time, he roamed the inscrutable world of adults all around him.

From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2021

"It's sometimes difficult to see the differences between unlawful transactions and a wealthy helicopter parent doing all they can for their kid."

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2021

Mom has a rich social life with neighbors, relatives and book clubs—but also frames her identity around having been a proud helicopter parent to her only child.

From Slate • Nov. 23, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023