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.
Giant multifamily firms are taking over more New York City apartments while mom-and-pop landlords struggle to stay afloat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 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
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 • Feb. 22, 2026
Instead of the franchised blandness of American cities, Alexandria is a city of mom-and-pop stores, all with signage screaming for attention, their wares encroaching on the streets.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
