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

Kochaporn was a single mother of a daughter who also came to Bangkok to do a DNA test, Jarunee said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Born in 1995, Bardella was brought up by his Italian-born single mother, Luisa, on the outskirts of Paris.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

My grandmother was a single mother and a low-level government employee, but she was extremely responsible.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

The single mother found a stable and well-paying job at a packaging center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

There are two of you, he had said; that might be a big advantage over a single mother.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng