mothering
Americannoun
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the nurturing of a child by a mother or in the way that a mother does.
I'm so relieved to be finally able to do the mothering of my children in my own home.
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the act of caring for or protecting like a mother, sometimes in an excessive way.
Even though her cold wasn't better yet, she was getting tired of his mothering.
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(in rural England) the custom of visiting one's parents on Laetare Sunday with a present.
Etymology
Origin of mothering
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.
Would my mothering improve before the baby was born?
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
In her new Netflix movie “Goodbye June,” she’s the one who needs mothering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Reflecting on her character's journey in the film, Adams explained: "Through her parenting - through her mothering - she got in touch with something bigger and something primal."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
As my husband says sympathetically, "It's got to be hard being you," always mothering and worrying over creatures you cannot in any way save or control.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2023
“Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts — did Edward tell you I had lost a child?”
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
