Meaning & use
mothers
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“mothers” is a form of “mother”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
More than one female parent, or the plural form used when talking about several such women.
Grammar: The plural of 'mother'; use it with plural verbs: mothers are, mothers do.
Patterns
- mothers of young children
- both mothers
- mothers and fathers
The two mothers waited outside the classroom together.
Many mothers in the group share advice about feeding babies.
Both mothers said their children loved the new playground.
verbtransitive
Looks after and protects someone with the care a parent gives, used about one person.
Grammar: Third-person singular of the verb 'mother'; it takes an object: she mothers him.
Patterns
- mother someone
- mother someone through something
She mothers her younger brother whenever he is sick.
He mothers the new players until they settle into the team.
Word forms
| base form | mother |
|---|---|
| third person singular | mothers |
| past tense | mothered |
| past participle | mothered |
| -ing form | mothering |
Common combinations
- mothers and fathers
- Mothers and fathers were both invited to the school meeting.
- single mothers
- The charity runs a support group for single mothers.
- working mothers
- Working mothers often need flexible hours.
- mothers of young children
- The clinic offers free check-ups for mothers of young children.
- expectant mothers
- Expectant mothers should ask their doctor before taking any medicine.
Synonyms and how they differ
- parents
- Use 'parents' when both the mother and the father are included; 'mothers' refers only to the female parents.
- moms
- 'Moms' is the informal American word and sounds warmer and more casual than 'mothers'.
Opposites
Word family
- mother noun
- One female parent.
- motherhood noun
- The state or experience of being a mother.
- motherly adjective
- Showing the kind, caring qualities people associate with a mother.
- mothering noun
- The act of caring for someone like a mother.
Commonly confused: mothers or mother's? mothers or mothers'?
mothers vs mother's
'Mother's' is possessive and refers to one mother (my mother's car); 'mothers' is just the plural (the mothers are here).
mothers vs mothers'
'Mothers'' is the possessive of more than one mother (the mothers' group); without the apostrophe it is simply the plural.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural noun correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Mothers' is a plural noun, so it goes with the plural verb 'are'. Option 0 wrongly adds an apostrophe, option 2 uses a singular verb, and option 3 leaves out the verb altogether.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mothers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.