mother-in-law
Americannoun
noun
Other Word 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.
Mollen, ironically, knows the pattern: In her Substack essay, she recalls that her mother-in-law “fell apart” when she and Biggs announced their engagement.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
She said she used to purchase fabrics from the luxury department store Liberty London and her mother-in-law bought her a sewing machine and encouraged her to sew.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
“I don’t really like it too much,” Slatten told the outlet, though she said her relationship with her mother-in-law has improved.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Pastor Ezra Jin was just finishing dinner with his elderly mother-in-law in the Chinese city of Beihai last October when more than a dozen police appeared at the door.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
My mother-in-law works for a quasi-official corporation that does two-thirds of its business with the government.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
