Meaning & use
mums
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“mums” is a form of “mum”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralBritishinformal
Mothers; the female parents of children.
Grammar: This is the plural of mum, used mainly in British English. The American plural is moms.
Patterns
- the mums at school
- mums and dads
- a group of mums
The mums waited at the school gate to collect their children.
Several mums from the neighborhood started a babysitting group.
Both mums came to the parents' evening together.
nounpluralAmericaninformal
Chrysanthemums, a type of garden flower that blooms in autumn.
Grammar: Short for chrysanthemums, mostly in American English. One flower is a mum.
Patterns
- plant mums
- pots of mums
She bought three pots of mums for the front steps.
The garden looks bright with mums in October.
Common combinations
- mums and dads
- The mums and dads cheered from the side of the field.
- a group of mums
- A group of mums meets for coffee every Friday.
- school mums
- The school mums organized a cake sale.
- pots of mums
- Pots of mums lined the path to the door.
- working mums
- Working mums often need flexible hours.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mothers
- The neutral, standard word; mums is warmer and more informal and is mainly British.
- moms
- The American English plural with the same meaning; use mums in British writing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: mums or moms? mums or mum?
mums vs moms
Moms is the American spelling and pronunciation; mums is the British one. Both mean mothers.
mums vs mum
Mum is singular and also means silent in the phrase keep mum; mums is only the plural of the mother meaning or the flower.
Practice
In British English, which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
Mums is the plural, so it takes are. Mum are is wrong because mum is singular, mums is is wrong because mums is plural, and mum's is a possessive, not a plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mums”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.