mother1 nounmother2 verb
mothermoth‧er1 /ˈmʌðə $ -ər/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINmother1
Origin:
Old English modorEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Mother just loved crossword puzzles.
- a mother hen and her chicks
- a real mother of a car
- As a single mother, Linda relies on state benefits which are nowhere near enough.
- Like most mothers, I always feel anxious when my children come home late.
- My mother and father are both teachers.
- My mother says I have to be home by 9 o'clock.
- The 29-year-old mother of two was attacked while walking her dog in woods near her home.
THESAURUS
a female parent: · My mother and father are both teachers.
British English informal, mom American English informal used when talking to your father, or about someone’s father: · My mum and dad won’t mind if you want to stay the night.· Mom, where’s my sweater?
British English, mommy American English a name for mother, which is used especially by young children or when you are talking to young children: · Where’s Mummy, Abbie?
American English old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone’s mother: · Ma stirred the soup on the stove.
old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone’s mother: · Mama seldom disagreed with Papa.
(also stepmum British English informal, stepmom American English informal) a woman who is married to your father, who is not your mother but often acts as your parent: · the wicked stepmother in fairy stories
Longman Language Activatora mother · My mother and father are both teachers.· Like most mothers, I always feel anxious when my children come home late.· The 29-year-old mother of two was attacked while walking her dog in woods near her home.a single mother (=a mother who looks after her children on her own, without a husband or partner) · As a single mother, Linda relies on state benefits which are nowhere near enough.
British /mom American informal someone's mother: · My mum and dad won't mind if you want to stay the night.· Alex's mom does all his cooking, washing, and ironing for him!· Sometimes it's difficult to get back into the job market after being a full-time mom.a single mum/mom (=a mother who looks after her children on her own, without a husband or partner): · Being a single mum is never easy.a stay-at-home-mom American (=a mother who stays at home to take care of her children rather than working elsewhere)
the time when a woman is a mother · It is not easy trying to combine motherhood and a job.· Women weren't expected to work in those days. The accepted pattern was marriage and motherhood.
typical of a mother's feelings or behaviour · My oldest sister, Roberta, used to fuss over me in a rather maternal manner.· Lack of maternal love can have a profound effect on a child's psychological development.
behaving in a kind and caring way like a mother · Aunt Mary was a large, maternal woman who worked as a nurse in a children's hospital.maternal towards · The older girls seemed to feel quite maternal towards the younger ones.
behaving like a mother, especially by being very kind and looking after people: · "Don't worry," Laura said in a gentle motherly way.· Miss Gilbert was motherly but firm, an excellent teacher for the lower forms.
to have a baby · Having a baby changes your life completely.· After my wife had the twins, we were struggling financially for a while.· Our dog had six puppies while we were away on vacation.
to have a baby - use this especially to talk about the actual process of doing this: · Zelda was admitted to the hospital at one o'clock, and gave birth two hours later.give birth to a child/daughter etc: · When Pablo was three, his mother gave birth to a daughter.
to have a baby for the first time: · Rachel was looking forward to becoming a mother.become the mother of a son/twins etc: · Nine months later she became the mother of a son, who was named George.
the process of giving birth: · Most women have some kind of pain relief during childbirth.die in childbirth (=die while giving birth): · Samuel's mother died in childbirth, and he was brought up by his aunt.natural childbirth (=without drugs, medical operations etc): · Natural childbirth has become more popular over the last 20 years.
British /labor American the whole process of giving birth, from the time when the baby starts to be pushed out of its mother's body: · When Connie realized that her labor was starting, she quickly phoned both her husband and doctor.in labour: · Sara was in labor for sixteen hours with our first child.go into labour (=begin the process of giving birth): · One of the horses had gone into labour while the farmer was away.
the process of giving birth, especially when the birth is helped by doctors and nurses: · A hospital is usually the best place for a safe delivery.· Meg was recovering from a particularly complicated delivery.
having a baby developing in your body · The health centre provides milk and vitamins for pregnant women.· When our cat was pregnant she looked like a round, furry ball.get pregnant · We can't stop teens from having sex, but we can help them to avoid getting pregnant.pregnant with somebody · When I was pregnant with Mandy, I felt fat and unattractive.twenty weeks/three months etc pregnant · When Janette was three months pregnant, she caught flu.heavily pregnant British (=when the baby is almost ready to be born) · By this time I was heavily pregnant and could hardly get into any of my clothes.
to have a baby developing in your body - used especially when you are telling someone that you or another person is going to have a baby: · Isn't it wonderful that Susie's going to have a baby?· My boss is having a baby in March, but she's only taking two months maternity leave.· The doctor told Ellie that the tests were positive and she was going to have a baby.
spoken informal to have a baby developing inside you: · They'd only been married a couple of months and already Rebecca was expecting.
a woman who is going to have a baby: · Expectant mothers are entitled to free healthcare.· Expectant mothers sometimes have cravings for unusual foods.
also mum-to-be British informal a woman who is going to have a baby: · I hear you are now a mother-to-be.· For first time mothers-to-be, the importance of regular check-ups cannot be stressed enough.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
the relationship between mother and child I woke up with the mother of all hangovers.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a working mother
(=mother of two/three etc children) Janet is a full-time teacher and a mother of two.
Janet is a full-time teacher and a mother of two. the relationship between mother and child (=an animal that is a mother)
I woke up with the mother of all hangovers. (=used when you think that someone is much too old to be having a relationship with another person)· Why would she want to go out with someone who was old enough to be her father?
· Mark is the proud father of a three-week-old baby boy.
(=the language you learn as a child) She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue.
She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue. a working motherPHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► Mother► be (like) a mother to somebody► like a mother hen► learn/be taught something at your mother’s kneePHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► hit the mother lode► necessity is the mother of invention► noncustodial parent/father/mother
- I woke up with the mother of all hangovers.
- Necessity is the mother of invention.
- the mother of all battles
- Adopted children and their biological parents may suffer stress long after the adoption. 4.
- It's now estimated that by 2010, children in stepfamilies will actually outnumber those living with two biological parents.
- Most of the debate was really about an alleged universality of the nuclear family of married biological parents and their legitimate children.
- My biological father is diagnosed as paranoid / schizophrenic.
- Or now, when they swear their biological father forced them to make the whole story up?
- Steven Lowe, Liverpool Who would be the biological parents of a human clone, and what legal ramifications would this have?
- The hearing would decide whether the state should terminate the rights of the biological parents and put the child up for adoption.
- The two candidates for the role of biological father were both Black Panthers.
- Everyone treats me with the temerity usually afforded to expectant fathers and potential Messiahs.
- A young girl needs a strong mother figure.
- And he registers genuine hurt at the fact that Buzzy regards Buck as more of a father figure than himself.
- As we get older, we may be abused by other authority figures - teachers, doctors, bosses.
- Disrespect the authority figure out there on the field and then wonder why the kids do it in their classrooms.
- Eventually Daley made the remarkable transition from political boss to father figure.
- He spoke seldom, but he was never impatient with her, always kind, a companionable father figure.
- It would seem that we are far more likely to obey unquestioningly when the authority figure is actually present.
- One wonders what is the unspoken view of the other authority figures involved in setting this up?
- By then, the girl had been put into the temporary care of foster parents by Wirral Council.
- His foster parents say they're giving him a break from events back home.
- News of the deal caused outrage in Britain, and Flintshire social services placed the girls with foster parents.
- On that occasion, they returned to Berkeley with a coachload of other would-be foster parents empty-handed.
- Richard had been passed from one set of foster parents to another until he was ten.
- The children went into voluntary care in June 1991 and were placed together with foster parents.
- The girl, who was with foster parents, wanted her family re-united.
- The sisters were separated, Lore working as a maid and the others going to foster parents.
- More than half of lone parents with two or more children had incomes below their absolute poverty level at £227 a week.
- One Parent Benefit is paid to 75% of lone parents.
- Sheila is a lone parent with two children, aged 13 and 15.
- Two thirds of lone parent families depend mainly on social security benefits, compared with one in eight two parent families.
- We can treat lone parents as poor people, needing means-tested social assistance of some sort - as we do now.
WORD FAMILYnounmothermotherhoodmotheringadjectivemotherlymotherlessverbmother
1a female parent of a child or animal: His mother and father are both doctors.mother of two/three etc (=mother of two/three etc children) Janet is a full-time teacher and a mother of two. the relationship between mother and child Goodnight, Mother. Mother said they’d met at university. If food is scarce, the mother will feed the smaller, weaker chicks.mother cat/bird/hen etc (=an animal that is a mother)2be (like) a mother to somebody to care for someone as if you were their mother: She’s like a mother to them. If they need anything she always helps out.3like a mother hen if someone behaves like a mother hen, they try to protect their children too much and worry about them all the time4learn/be taught something at your mother’s knee to learn something when you are a very young child: the prayers which he had been taught at his mother’s knee5the mother of something a)the origin or cause of something: Westminster is known as ‘the mother of parliaments’. Necessity is the mother of invention (=people have good ideas when the situation makes it necessary). b)informal a very severe or extreme type of something, usually something bad: I woke up with the mother of all hangovers.6spoken especially American English something very large and usually very good: a real mother of a car7American English taboo spoken motherfucker8Mother used to address the woman who is in charge of a conventTHESAURUSmother a female parent: · My mother and father are both teachers.mum British English informal, mom American English informal used when talking to your father, or about someone’s father: · My mum and dad won’t mind if you want to stay the night.· Mom, where’s my sweater?mummy British English, mommy American English a name for mother, which is used especially by young children or when you are talking to young children: · Where’s Mummy, Abbie?ma American English old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone’s mother: · Ma stirred the soup on the stove.mama old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone’s mother: · Mama seldom disagreed with Papa.stepmother (also stepmum British English informal, stepmom American English informal) a woman who is married to your father, who is not your mother but often acts as your parent: · the wicked stepmother in fairy storiesmother1 nounmother2 verb
mothermother2 verb [transitive] VERB TABLE
mother
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | mother |
| he, she, it | mothers | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | mothered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have mothered |
| he, she, it | has mothered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had mothered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will mother |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have mothered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am mothering |
| he, she, it | is mothering | |
| you, we, they | are mothering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was mothering |
| you, we, they | were mothering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been mothering |
| he, she, it | has been mothering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been mothering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be mothering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been mothering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Brenda just tries to mother everyone.
- A new kind of mothering exists between these two extremes, at the locus of self.
- But why discuss mothering alone in a book about redefining motherhood?
- Fair enough-invention had been successfully mothered again by NECessity.
- In such societies girls learn mothering from their earliest years, usually by mothering their brothers and sisters.
- She mothered all of them in a way that Jennie could not now she was becoming more erratic.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a working mother
(=used when you think that someone is much too old to be having a relationship with another person)· Why would she want to go out with someone who was old enough to be her father?
· Mark is the proud father of a three-week-old baby boy.
(=the language you learn as a child) She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue.
She felt more comfortable talking in her native tongue. a working motherPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► hit the mother lode► necessity is the mother of invention► noncustodial parent/father/mother
- Adopted children and their biological parents may suffer stress long after the adoption. 4.
- It's now estimated that by 2010, children in stepfamilies will actually outnumber those living with two biological parents.
- Most of the debate was really about an alleged universality of the nuclear family of married biological parents and their legitimate children.
- My biological father is diagnosed as paranoid / schizophrenic.
- Or now, when they swear their biological father forced them to make the whole story up?
- Steven Lowe, Liverpool Who would be the biological parents of a human clone, and what legal ramifications would this have?
- The hearing would decide whether the state should terminate the rights of the biological parents and put the child up for adoption.
- The two candidates for the role of biological father were both Black Panthers.
- Everyone treats me with the temerity usually afforded to expectant fathers and potential Messiahs.
- A young girl needs a strong mother figure.
- And he registers genuine hurt at the fact that Buzzy regards Buck as more of a father figure than himself.
- As we get older, we may be abused by other authority figures - teachers, doctors, bosses.
- Disrespect the authority figure out there on the field and then wonder why the kids do it in their classrooms.
- Eventually Daley made the remarkable transition from political boss to father figure.
- He spoke seldom, but he was never impatient with her, always kind, a companionable father figure.
- It would seem that we are far more likely to obey unquestioningly when the authority figure is actually present.
- One wonders what is the unspoken view of the other authority figures involved in setting this up?
- By then, the girl had been put into the temporary care of foster parents by Wirral Council.
- His foster parents say they're giving him a break from events back home.
- News of the deal caused outrage in Britain, and Flintshire social services placed the girls with foster parents.
- On that occasion, they returned to Berkeley with a coachload of other would-be foster parents empty-handed.
- Richard had been passed from one set of foster parents to another until he was ten.
- The children went into voluntary care in June 1991 and were placed together with foster parents.
- The girl, who was with foster parents, wanted her family re-united.
- The sisters were separated, Lore working as a maid and the others going to foster parents.
- More than half of lone parents with two or more children had incomes below their absolute poverty level at £227 a week.
- One Parent Benefit is paid to 75% of lone parents.
- Sheila is a lone parent with two children, aged 13 and 15.
- Two thirds of lone parent families depend mainly on social security benefits, compared with one in eight two parent families.
- We can treat lone parents as poor people, needing means-tested social assistance of some sort - as we do now.
WORD FAMILYnounmothermotherhoodmotheringadjectivemotherlymotherlessverbmother
to look after and protect someone as if you were their mother, especially by being too kind and doing everything for them: I don’t like being mothered!