mother figure

American

[muhth-er fig-yer] / ˈmʌð ər ˌfɪg yər /

noun

an emotional substitute for one's mother, especially one who fulfills parental functions such as protection, authority, support, etc.

Etymology

Origin of mother figure

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

She could not have known it would fuse her into the public’s consciousness as a devoted mother figure.

From Salon

She was such a mother figure to me, and I adore her truly.

From Los Angeles Times

Like that earlier work, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” is also drawn from Capote’s boyhood within a clan of eccentric relatives that included an older cousin and mother figure known as Sook.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Hrka, who has attended countless demonstrations alongside the students, has embraced her role as a mother figure to the protest movement.

From Barron's

He says he “misses a mother figure ... but I think what she’s going through is deserved.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023