Parent is used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it usually means a mother or father. As a verb, it means to raiseto care for and help a child grow up a child. It can also referto point to or describe something as to the source organisma living thing, such as a plant or animal from which a young plant or animal comes.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈperənt/
Easy pronunciation: PAIR-ent (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable: PAIR-ent.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Parent Meaning
a mother or father
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a father or mother; a person who gives birth to, adopts, or raises a child
Example: Her parents came to the school concert.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- mother — Works in a specific case, but not as a general substitute for parent.
- father — Works in a specific case, but not as a general substitute for parent.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Parent
Meaning 2
to raise a child
Part of speech: verb
Definition: look after a child until it is an adult
Example: They parented three children while working full-time.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- bring up — A natural synonym for the verb sense.
- nurture — Close in meaning, but often stresses care and support more than everyday parenting.
- raise — A common and natural substitute in this sense.
- rear — Correct, but more formal or old-fashioned in everyday use.
Meaning 3
a parent organism
Part of speech: noun
Definition: an organism, especially a plant or animal, from which younger ones are obtained
Example: The new plants were grown from one parent plant.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Parent Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- mother
- father
to raise a child
- bring up
- raise
- nurture
- rear
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not confuse the noun parent with the verb parent.
- Do not use parent when you mean child.
- In biology, parent can refer to the source organism, not a human mother or father.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does parent mean?
Parent usually means a mother or father. It can also be a verb meaning to raise a child, and in biology it can mean the organism that produces another one.
What is a synonym for parent?
For the noun, the closest words are mother and father in specific contexts. For the verb, common synonyms are bring up and raise.
Is parent a verb?
Yes. As a verb, parent means to look after and raise a child until adulthood.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-14. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.