mama
Americannoun
Usage
What does mama mean? Mama is an informal word for mother. Mama can also be spelled momma and mamma. Mama is informal, and it’s often used by young children, much like the word mommy. Adults also sometimes use mama to refer to their mothers, especially when they have a close relationship. The word can be used as a title for one’s mother, as in You should call Mama, and as a way to address her, as in Hi, Mama—happy Mother’s Day! In these two uses, the word is usually capitalized since it’s used like a proper name. Mama can also be used as an informal way to refer to one’s mother, as in You should call your mama. Call your mama whatever you want—just remember to call her.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mama
First recorded in 1545–55; nursery word, with parallels in other European languages, probably in part inherited or borrowed, in part newly formed; compare Latin mamma, Greek mámmē “breast, mama” ( see mamma 2), French maman “mama,” Welsh mam “mother” (from unattested mammā )
Explanation
Mama is a kind of nickname for your mother, another way to say "mom" or "mommy." A very common first word for babies in nearly every country is mama. The ma sound shows up very early in a baby's babbling, and experts believe that's where mama originated. Nearly every Indo-European language has a word for "mother" that sounds like mama, including the Latin mamma, the Greek mamme, and the Persian mama. Plenty of older kids and even adults use the word too, as a fond nickname for their mother.
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.
See Examples For:
“And as soon as we look in the hole, there’s the mama bear staring at us,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Every single person and their mama is a builder,” says Willis Clayton-Stankowski, 25, who lives in Oakland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Bystanders gathered, with one asking, “Would your mama be proud of you right now?”
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2026
“They’re mama bears, and they’re coming out, and they’re going to run for office, and they’re going to become more vocal.”
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
Ella took the braid-hands and tickled the palms in the way she'd seen her mama do.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
“We got about 125,000 people, mamas and babies in Massachusetts, that get food assistance,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren told the media in 2023 about a potential shutdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
"I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant," she wrote on Instagram.
From Reuters ● Nov. 4, 2023
“I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant,” she wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2023
“Most mamas and daddies stay alive until their babies are gone,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022
Except for Brunelle, the mamas loved to tease me.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
