dad
1 Americannoun
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a person’s father or one’s father.
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a person who is corny or embarrassing in the way that a father figure might be.
He was being such a dad when he told that story.
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a term of endearment used to refer to a man or boy who is admired.
A bunch of teens commented “HI DAD!” on the rapper’s post.
adjective
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corny or embarrassing in the way that a father figure might be: the most dad story ever.
a dad joke;
the most dad story ever.
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handsome or stylish; amazing; to be admired.
Those shoes are totally dad.
verb (used with object)
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to act as a father toward; act paternally toward.
Stop dadding me about my grades!
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to refer to (an admired man or boy) as “dad”.
My friends dad me whenever I look good.
verb (used without object)
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to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally.
He dads like a champ.
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to refer to an admired man or boy as “dad”.
They dad whenever a new photo pops up on their feeds.
interjection
noun
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a solid blow or knock.
-
a large slice, lump, or portion.
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of dad1
First recorded in 1530–40; probably originally baby talk dah-dah
Origin of dad2
First recorded in 1670–80; euphemism for God; Gad 1 ( def. )
Origin of dad3
First recorded in 1710–20; probably variant of dab 1
Origin of ḍad4
From Arabic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"When Terry's wife got home he told told her Gary Barlow had visited with his dad. She was a fan of his and was quite disappointed that she had missed him."
From BBC
She urged her mom, dad and younger brother to evacuate.
From Los Angeles Times
“I love my dad. He was peripheral. He was wonderful. He passed away last year and I really don’t want to talk about him,” Applegate says under the glow of her screen.
From Los Angeles Times
Here, he discusses his Harry Potter child stardom, director aspirations and advice from his dad.
I guided Oliver and his dad over to the wheel.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
