mama

noun

ma·​ma ˈmä-mə How to pronounce mama (audio)
 chiefly British  mə-ˈmä
variants or less commonly mamma or momma
1
: mother
2
slang : wife, woman

Examples of mama in a Sentence

I'm not your mama—you'll have to clean up after yourself.
Recent Examples on the Web In the decades since, mothers — along with moms, mamas and mums — have been mentioned 295 times. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 After all, people who want their mamas to spank them while dancing on poles are still just, well, people. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Late last month, after years of makeshift study sessions and test-taking on the road, Bryan made his mama’s dream come true. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2024 Melissa Leo won an Academy Award for playing a fiery mama bear and Amy Adams shines as the fighter’s suffering partner. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 23 Dec. 2023 Terrified by the idea of her mother enduring Russian bombardment, Denisova instead imagines her tough-as-beets mama, Olga Ivanovna (Holly Twyford), commanding anti-Putin troops from her apartment balcony and tartly telling Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron how to do their jobs. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 My mama named me Tyrone Curtis Bogues, but people just believe that my name is Muggsy. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 Chino y Nacho The Venezuelan pop duo (pictured above) whose mamas named them Jesus and Miguel have been crowned this year’s Carnaval Kings, and will lively up the main stage with their appealing blend of salsa and merengue mixed with reggaeton. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 And this mama bear is as calculating and venomous — maybe even more so — than any of you guys. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mama.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

baby talk

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mama was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near mama

Cite this Entry

“Mama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mama. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mama

noun
ma·​ma
variants also mamma or momma
ˈmäm-ə

More from Merriam-Webster on mama

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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