mother figure

American  

[muhth-er fig-yer] / ˈmʌð ər ˌfɪg jər /

noun

mother figures plural

1. an emotional substitute for one's mother, especially one who fulfills parental functions such as protection, authority, support, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mother figures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mother figure

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Stranded baby sea otters need a mother figure if they’re ever going to be able to return to the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Like that earlier work, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” is also drawn from Capote’s boyhood within a clan of eccentric relatives that included an older cousin and mother figure known as Sook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Throughout her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit carved a dual reputation as a glittering fashionista and the nation's caring mother figure.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

Huntr/x also has a member in its ranks who’s passing for human at the insistence of her mother figure, much like Hailee Steinfeld’s Mary, Stack’s ex-lover, passes for white in “Sinners” at Stack’s insistence.

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2025

“Vivian is like a mother figure to you. Grandmother, great-grandmother—whatever. She listens to you, she tells you stories, lets you help her out. She makes you feel needed.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline