as in mother
a person who brings forth and raises a child
The couple recently became parents for the first time. She grew up in a single parent household.
Related Words
Relevance
as in to raise
to bring forth and raise to maturity through care and education
They expertly parent their second child using all the lessons learned from raising their first.
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parent
William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
He's clearly conflicted between wanting peace at home and not wanting to hurt his girlfriend’s parents.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Children stay close to adults who make room for their whole identity, not just the parts that are easy to parent.
—Reem Raouda, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parent
Noun
When Katie objects, the music cuts out and Becky’s parents take offense.
—Verb
Gibson and Ross went their separate ways roughly a year ago and plan to continue co-parenting their 8-year-old son, Lars.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for parent
Noun
-
Several hundred people gathered outside the federal building, including mothers and grandmothers.—
-
Good was the mother of three children and had recently moved to Minnesota.—
Verb
-
Wanda Sykes made sure that comedian Ricky Gervais — a comedian whose past material raised eyebrows and allegations of transphobia — shared his big 2026 Golden Globes night with a higher power and the transgender community.—
-
One of them, fist raised to the sky, let out a long yell, the hoarse shout of a gold panner.—
Noun
-
The skin care brand counts celebrities like Eva Mendes, Jessica Chastain, Laura Dern, and more as fans, plus countless beauty editors and their moms, too.—
-
Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Verb
-
Gentleness can return this afternoon, once the nurturing Moon mirrors healing Chiron.—
-
The concept of the New Wave Fashion Awards was introduced last fall in a bid to turbocharge local creativity, nurture creative talent, and identify homegrown creative directors of tomorrow.—
Verb
-
Due to many performance inquiries from the community, Beebe said the team was inspired to create the Stand Performance Group, fostering a space for training teens for performance outreach.—
-
The group collaborates with schools to provide free music education that can inspire personal development, foster a sense of community, and prepare future leaders.—
Cite this Entry
“Parent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parent. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share