mom-and-pop

American

[mom-uhn-pop] / ˈmɒm ənˈpɒp /

adjective

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-pops

a small-scale, owner-operated business.

Etymology

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.

Launched in 2019, it serves businesses from members of the Fortune 500 list of the largest US companies, down to "mom-and-pop shops" – small, family-owned retailers.

From BBC

Mom-and-pop stores in countries like India tend to stock all kinds of products.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We kept talking about these tropes from ‘80s movies of slobs versus snobs,” and how it mirrored the mom-and-pop shop versus big business dynamic.

From Los Angeles Times

Now locals are again debating whether the street, which cuts across a swath of apartment complexes, car shops and mom-and-pop businesses, should be renamed once more.

From The Wall Street Journal

Svec expects leasing by service tenants to remain strong, even as the sector’s biggest component—bars and restaurants—shows signs of weakening because of a pullback in spending by some consumers and competition from large chains pressuring mom-and-pop establishments.

From The Wall Street Journal

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