Meaning & use
mom and pop business
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A small business owned and run by a family, usually with only a few employees.
Grammar: Used with 'a' or in the plural: 'a mom and pop business', 'mom and pop businesses'.
Patterns
- a mom and pop business
- mom and pop businesses
The grocery store on the corner is a mom and pop business that has been in the same family for 50 years.
Many mom and pop businesses struggled during the recession.
He prefers shopping at a mom and pop business rather than a large chain.
Word forms
| plural | mom and pop businesses |
|---|
Common combinations
- a mom and pop store
- They run a mom and pop store selling homemade bread.
- a mom and pop operation
- The whole company is just a mom and pop operation with five workers.
- mom and pop businesses
- The new tax law is meant to help mom and pop businesses.
- a small mom and pop shop
- She bought the dress from a small mom and pop shop downtown.
Synonyms and how they differ
- family business
- A more neutral term that can refer to any size, not just very small ones.
- small business
- A broader term for any business with few employees, not necessarily family-run.
- corner store
- A specific type of small local shop, often a mom and pop business.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mom and pop business' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A mom and pop business is small and family-run, so opening one to sell candles fits. A multinational corporation and a business with 500 employees are too large, and the music option is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mom and pop business”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.