parent
Other forms: parents; parenting; parented
A parent is a mother or father. Your mom and your dad are your parents, and one of their jobs is to parent you.
We're all born to parents, and many of us also have step parents, foster parents, or adoptive parents who parent us. You might also use parent to talk about plants and animals; maybe your new puppy's parents were dog show champions, for example. Things that act as the source or owner of something else are also parents, like a parent company that owns the local bookshop. The Latin root is parere, "give birth to, produce."
Definitions of parent
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a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
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examples:
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Blessed Virgin
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
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Naomi
the mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament
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types:
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adopter, adoptive parent
a person who adopts a child of other parents as his or her own child
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empty nester
a parent whose children have grown up and left home
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begetter, father, male parent
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
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filicide
a parent who murders his own son or daughter
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female parent, mother
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
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stepparent
the spouse of your parent by a subsequent marriage
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dad, dada, daddy, pa, papa, pappa, pop
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
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father-in-law
the father of your spouse
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ma, mama, mamma, mammy, mom, momma, mommy, mum, mummy
informal terms for a mother
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mater
an informal use of the Latin word for mother; sometimes used by British schoolboys or used facetiously
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mother-in-law
the mother of your spouse
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old man
an informal term for your father
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pater
an informal use of the Latin word for father; sometimes used by British schoolboys or used facetiously
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para I, primipara
(obstetrics) woman who has been delivered of a child for the first time
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puerpera
a woman in childbirth or shortly thereafter
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quadripara
(obstetrics) woman who has given birth to a viable infant in each of four pregnancies
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quintipara
(obstetrics) woman who has given birth to a viable infant in each of five pregnancies
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stepfather
the husband of your mother by a subsequent marriage
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stepmother
the wife of your father by a subsequent marriage
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supermom
an informal term for a mother who can combine childcare and full-time employment
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surrogate mother
a woman who bears a child for a couple where the wife is unable to do so
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type of:
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genitor
a natural father or mother
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Blessed Virgin
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an organism (plant or animal) from which younger ones are obtained
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bring up
Pronunciation
US
/ˈpɛrənt/
UK
/ˈpɛərənt/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘parent'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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