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Synonyms

mom

1 American  
[mom] / mɒm /

noun

  1. a person’s mother or one’s mother.

  2. a term of endearment used to refer to a woman or girl who is admired: She came on stage at the beginning of the concert, and I was like, MOM.

    Obviously she has no kids, but she is such a mom.

    She came on stage at the beginning of the concert, and I was like, MOM.

    All her friends call her “mom” even though she just started middle school.

adjective

  1. beautiful or stylish; amazing; to be admired: She’s so mom in that movie.

    That outfit is mom!

    She’s so mom in that movie.

verb (used with object)

  1. to act as a mother toward; act maternally toward, sometimes in an excessive way: I think I just got mommed by my cat.

    She just mommed me with advice.

    I think I just got mommed by my cat.

    She totally mommed those bullies.

  2. to refer to (an admired woman or girl) as “mom”.

    My friends mommed the selfie I just posted.

verb (used without object)

  1. to perform the tasks or duties of a female parent; act maternally, sometimes in an excessive way: She mommed out hard after I came home late.

    I like the way she moms.

    She mommed out hard after I came home late.

  2. (of a woman or girl) to refer to an admired woman or girl as “mom”.

    Whenever I comment on photos of my friends, I mom.
m.o.m. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. middle of month.

mom British  
/ mɒm /

noun

  1. an informal word for mother 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mom

First recorded in 1845–50; short for momma

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.

After most appointments, my mom would pull her van into the Starbucks parking lot in the shopping center next door.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

She joins me in the kitchen, and as we eat, she talks about her life: about her mom, work and a love relationship needing contemplation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Their father passed away in 2014, and Scott wanted to deploy all of her resources as a single mom toward their success.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

“I remember my mom saying in those early days when Daddy died: ‘You have to get up and decide and do,’” Savannah Guthrie said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

“But I’m sure you already know all about how wonderful your mom is. Now let’s see that leg.”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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.