mom-and-pop
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a small retail business, usually owned and operated by members of a family.
a mom-and-pop grocery.
-
of or indicating something, as an enterprise, investment, or project, that is independent, small in scope, and modestly financed.
noun
plural
mom-and-popsEtymology
Origin of mom-and-pop
An Americanism dating back to 1950–55
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.
Under Rubin, Fanatics has gone from a mom-and-pop operation into a company that employs 22,000 people and is valued between $25 billion and $30 billion.
From Los Angeles Times
The Nifty Midcap 100 index, where mom-and-pop investments are concentrated, has plateaued since June after surging 20% in the previous four months.
From Barron's
The coolest spots since the rise of social media are mom-and-pop regional eateries.
From Los Angeles Times
Mom-and-pop Chinese investors such as Tian helped push gold and silver to record highs—only to be whipsawed by wild price swings in recent weeks.
The biggest chunk of that appears to be smaller mom-and-pop landlords rather than giant corporations.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
