single mother

American  

Informal, single mom

noun

• single mothers
  plural

1. a mother who brings up a child or children alone, without a partner.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• single mothers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of single mother

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

single mother

Meanwhile, Wallis’ Angie is simply a resourceful single mother striving to get home to her 6-year-old daughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

As a single mother and service-industry worker, Hong carries relatable and valuable lived experience that is often missing from the halls of state and federal government.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

After two deployments, Desma, a single mother of three, wonders whether the two years she spent overseas took her away from her son for too long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Raised by a single mother in Korogocho, one of Nairobi's poorest informal settlements, Marius describes himself as "something like illiterate", and sees few options in a country where 40 percent live below the poverty line.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

She’d grown up in Atlanta, raised by a single mother.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline