parenting
Americannoun
-
the rearing of children.
The schedule allows her very little time for parenting.
-
the methods, techniques, etc., used or required in the rearing of children.
a course in parenting.
-
the state of being a parent; parenthood.
adjective
noun
Usage
Parenting has come to be favored over parenthood, rearing, and bringing up in sociological and educational literature and in popular writing.
Etymology
Origin of parenting
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.
Call it CEO parenting: treating the modern family as a small enterprise and delegating low-joy tasks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Reports routinely include aspects of parenting on which reasonable people disagree, such as how old a child should be to play unsupervised, or that reflect a parents’ lack of resources instead of any intentional misconduct.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The star, who has more than 17 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, rose to fame by sharing parenting and traditional family content.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
You’ll be stepping into a household where, every day, you are parenting and being parented.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
“The geese offered parenting advice. The beavers showed me how to build a home. The deer gave me gardening lessons. Each of our friends helped us in their own way.”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
