mom-and-pop
adjective
of or relating to a small retail business, usually owned and operated by members of a family.
mom-and-pops
-
pluralof mom-and-pop.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
“If this doesn’t get solved, then these places will only be viable for the highest value-add companies. A lot of your mom-and-pops won’t be able to do it.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
Upon his request for local mom-and-pops that serve up “great food and service, but could use the marketing,” Lee received over 20,000 recommendations from his 16.5 million followers.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2024
“That means opportunities for mom-and-pops and online solutions, although we never really knew the profitability of it.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
She’s no longer the one-stop shop for the neighborhood, and she faces competition from other mom-and-pops, but is holding on hard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2022
One might object that Ms. Taylor is franchising wine, removing the mystery like franchise food options at interstate rest stops rather than independent mom-and-pops.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
