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to mother

to mother

3 4.8
To give birth to a child or young animal
  • verb
  • /ˈmʌðər/
translation icon : parir
  • Realizing that most of the girls will mother families someday, the committee feels it is important that they know how families can spend cultural afternoons "for free" at tax-supported museums, concerts, universities, and parks.

Examples

  • After years of trying, they were finally able to mother their first child together.

  • Trying to mother her so she could mother me.

    Blog text (24)
  • And now let's bring out the star of the show, the mother of my child.

  • Also, in the long term, I'm looking for someone to mother a child with me.

  • I thought, how could I have been a better mother to this unborn person?

  • I've just learned through you being a mother, honestly.

  • I wish my mother were alive so Cora wouldn't have to mother me, feed me.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Now Ramona had mothered babies and become heavy in hips and thighs.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • She decided to mother the abandoned kitten she found in the garden.

  • It was her dream to mother a large family filled with love and laughter.

Synonyms

to generate
vsto mother
19 3.0

To make young animals or plants

is specific to being the female parent rather than general biological production
to bring forth
vsto mother
  • Literature
5 8.1

To give birth to a child or young animal

is used for being the female parent rather than simply producing offspring
to engender
vsto mother
  • Archaic
2 7.2

To cause the birth of children or young animals

is about being the female parent rather than the general act of creating offspring

Idioms

mother of all
  • Informal
14 7.8

A very large, extreme event like a storm or party

fuck your mother
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A very rude insult that shows extreme anger at someone by insulting their mother

A strong cry showing surprise or shock

Phrasal Verbs

to be mother
  • Archaic
1 9.8

To look after others and serve drinks like tea or coffee

Compounds

112 1.6

The mother of your husband or wife

50 3.6

A woman who has a baby but is not the child's legal or social mother

14 3.0

A woman who cares for a child who is not her own

mother lode
  • Informal
12 6.8

A large rich source of valuable things like gold or information

11 3.4

A woman who has a child and is not married

A woman who becomes pregnant to have a baby for another person or couple

The first language a person learns at home

A smooth shiny layer inside some shells that shows rainbow colours and is used for decoration

A woman who cares for and guides someone like a parent

Mother Goose
  • Literature
3 4.5

An imaginary old woman who writes nursery rhymes and fairy tales

The country where you were born or the one you feel most connected to

queen mother
  • Formal
3 6.1

The mother of the current king or queen who keeps the title after her child becomes ruler

den mother
  • Jargon
2 6.5

A woman who leads a small group of Cub Scouts and plans their activities

2 6.7

A woman who looks after and supports a group of children or young people

A woman who is in charge of a group of nuns in a convent

Great Mother
  • Literature
2 9.9

An ancient Phrygian goddess worshipped for nature and fertility, often shown with lions

A woman who cares for someone like a mother, often with or instead of their own mother

Mother Hubbard
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A loose dress without a belt that falls straight from the shoulders, with a high neck and long sleeves

earth mother
  • Literature
1 8.5

A female spirit who represents the Earth and gives life and fertility

1 4.5

A caring person who loves nature, grows plants, and helps others with gardening

mother hen
  • Informal
1 5.1

A person who cares for and protects others and often worries about them

A cupboard or pantry that has no food

A small seabird that flies low over the sea and often appears before storms

1 7.7

A very strong storm that causes great damage and danger

1 9.9

Natural practical sense a person is born with, not learned at school

A woman who cares for a child who is not her own

A hen that has chicks and cares for them

A small seabird that flies low over the sea, often near storms

mother cell
  • Specialized
6.5

A cell that makes another cell during the growth or reproduction of a living thing

A busy place that helps people and ideas grow

A place where many skilled craft workers learn and make things

A low, fragrant plant with small purple and white flowers that grows close to the ground

Mother Thumb
  • Baby Talk
8.6

A small nursery rhyme character a child shows on their thumb to teach finger names

A simple game for children using the thumb and four fingers to help them move well

9.9

Completely without clothes like a new baby

A high cloud that looks shiny with rainbow colors around sunrise or after sunset

A small plant with many red and white flowers that spreads by long thin stems

An indoor plant with large dark leaves that can make your tongue and throat swell if eaten

A houseplant with long upright thick leaves often called snake plant

A figure in modern spiritual beliefs who represents Earth as a caring mother

A mother wrongly blamed in the past for causing her child's autism because she seemed cold

spore mother cell
  • Specialized
9.3

A cell in plants, fungi, or algae that divides to make four spores with half the usual genes

Surface Forms

mother infinitive
mothered past
mothered past participle
mothering present participle
mothers third person singular

Etymology

To mother (verb) comes from the same old word for 'female parent', so to mother someone can mean to give birth to them or to be their female parent. That is why mother is used for the act of having or becoming a parent.