Dad Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms dad 1 American [dad] / dæd /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a solid blow or knock.

2. a large slice, lump, or portion.

dad 2 American [dad] / dæd /

noun

1. a person’s father or one’s father.

2. 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.

3. 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

1. 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.

2. handsome or stylish; amazing; to be admired.

   Those shoes are totally dad.

verb (used with object)

1. to act as a father toward; act paternally toward.

   Stop dadding me about my grades!

2. to refer to (an admired man or boy) as “dad”.

   My friends dad me whenever I look good.

verb (used without object)

1. to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally.

   He dads like a champ.

2. to refer to an admired man or boy as “dad”.

   They dad whenever a new photo pops up on their feeds.

dad 3 American [dad] / dæd /

interjection

Informal.

1. God (used in combination in mild oaths).

   dad-blamed; dad-gummed.

ḍad 4 American [dahd] / dɑd /

noun

1. the 15th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

dad British / dæd /

noun

1. an informal word for father

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dad1

First recorded in 1710–20; probably variant of dab 1

Origin of dad1

First recorded in 1530–40; probably originally baby talk dah-dah

Origin of dad1

First recorded in 1670–80; euphemism for God; Gad 1 ( def. )

Origin of ḍad1

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.

While his dad travelled through Iran in 1984, Mr Hargreaves was unable to do so and instead headed north through Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, before re-joining his father's original route in Pakistan.

From BBC

"I was doing every night time, every change… every walk. The role of both mum and dad," Ryan told the BBC's Parenting Download.

From BBC

"I told my first joke on stage at 18 months at one of my dad's gigs," he recalls.

From BBC

Otherwise, Aled was enjoying the idea of being a father, so he put it down to normal first-time dad nerves, oblivious to the mental health struggles he was yet to face.

From BBC

He’s a Democrat, and I’m a Republican, but his advice is sound for moms and dads of any stripe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• old man
• papa
• parent

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.