Mother's Day

American  

noun

1. a day, usually the second Sunday in May, set aside in honor of mothers.

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Mother's Day British  

noun

1. the second Sunday in May, observed as a day in honour of mothers

2. Also called: Mothering Sunday.  the fourth Sunday in Lent, when mothers traditionally receive presents from their children

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How does mothers-day compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Father's Day vs. Mother's Day

Example Sentences

My wife and I seldom dine out, typically only on special occasions such as birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and our wedding anniversary.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

So does not sulking when kids don’t invite you on their vacation or forget to send Mother’s Day cards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

On May 10-11, 2024, Earth was hit by the strongest event of this kind in more than two decades, known as the Gannon storm or Mother's Day storm.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025

She was seen as a key maternal figure for the country, with her birthday, 12 August, marked as Mother's Day since 1976.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

I’m determined to make the Mother’s Day performance spectactular, not for my mother but for my teacher and principal, so they’ll be proud of me.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau