mother-in-law
Americannoun
-
mothers-in-law
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mother-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moder in lawe; see origin at mother 1 ( def. ), in ( def. ), law 1 ( def. ); from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins
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.
See Examples For:
“I’ve missed a lot with my family. I’ve missed every birthday, every anniversary,” said one sailor, adding that he wasn’t able to be home to comfort relatives after the deaths of his aunt and mother-in-law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Debu Sapkota, a 58-year-old driver, came to post photos of his 83-year-old mother-in-law and granddaughter who went missing in the town of Trishuli Bazaar, swept away by last week's surge.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
And I never saw this coming: She became my mother-in-law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Lindsay Clancy was "begging for help", her former mother-in-law Susan Clancy testified.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Nay, if you are so serious about it, I shall consider the matter as absolutely settled. You will have a charming mother-in-law, indeed, and of course she will be always at Pemberley with you.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
They teased one another, complained about overbearing mothers-in-law and celebrated milestones, like a daughter’s quinceañera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
No one today any longer wishes to hear jokes about nagging mothers-in-law, spendthrift wives or old jalopies, and the men and women who once told them to hardy plaudits are now forgotten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Lila Charif, Bahar Tavakolian and Laya Kadjavi, whose mothers and mothers-in-law were also close to mine, drew much inspiration from her in their own cooking.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2024
There, a team led by medical anthropologist Adelaide Lusambili of Africa International University conducted interviews with dozens of pregnant women, new mothers, male partners, mothers-in-law, community health care workers, and community leaders in 2021.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 27, 2023
Daughters who had complained bitterly about the responsibilities of taking care of their aged mothers-in-law had altered when Sula locked Eva away, and they began cleaning those old women’s spittoons without a murmur.
From "Sula" by Toni 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.
