Meaning & use
a mother
Last updated
“a mother” is a form of “mother”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
A female parent; a woman who has a child.
Grammar: Use 'a mother' for one; 'mothers' for more than one. Possessive forms like 'my mother' are very common.
Patterns
- a mother of a child
- someone's mother
She is a mother of two young boys.
A mother was waiting at the school gate.
His mother works as a nurse.
Word forms
| plural | mothers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a single mother
- She is a single mother raising three children.
- a mother of two
- My neighbor is a mother of two.
- someone's mother
- His mother called him home for dinner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mom
- 'Mom' is informal and used especially in American English; 'mother' is more formal.
- mum
- 'Mum' is informal British English; 'mother' works in all varieties.
Opposites
Word family
- motherhood noun
- The state of being a mother.
- motherly adjective
- Having the caring qualities of a mother.
Commonly confused: a mother or mutter?
a mother vs mutter
'Mutter' means to speak quietly and unclearly; 'mother' is a family member.
Practice
She became ______ when she adopted her daughter last year.
Choose one answer.
'A mother' is the female parent, which fits 'she' and 'daughter'. 'A father' is male. 'A brother' and 'a sister' are siblings, not parents.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a mother”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.