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.
While many ski towns have spent years mourning the rise of corporate conglomerates swallowing mom-and-pop owners, a growing faction in Telluride was pushing in the opposite direction.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
So, it created a new subsidiary called GenCo, whose sole purpose would be to serve the biggest customers, keeping the impact away from their normal mom-and-pop customers.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
This growth has, however, come at a cost to local mom-and-pop stores on the high street.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
The coolest spots since the rise of social media are mom-and-pop regional eateries.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
She went to a local youth employment program in Downey and got a referral to a mom-and-pop accounting business.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
