Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mom and pop

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.68 in modern English

Syllables: mom and pop
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small business, often but not always owned or operated by a family.

Informal

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mom, and, pop.

adj

Alternative form of mom-and-pop.

adj

Alternative form of mom-and-pop.

noun

Alternative form of mom and pop.

Example Sentences

"Also, love for mom and pop."
"In the past ten years or so, there has been an explosion of restaurants. This is a very welcome development, as the art of fine dining has spread to areas that previously only had mom and pop diners or substandard steakhouses."
"McDonald’s and Burger King have pretty much wiped out the mom and pop diners; […]"
"Did he eat at local mom and pop diners or national chains?"
"These family wineries had even less direct consumer contact than the Mom and Pop businesses. […] Problems also plagued California’s winery co-ops, which did just about as poorly as Mom and Pop and small family operations."
"The Road—a string of black asphalt winding through mountains, then, framed by golden wheat, stretching as far as the eye can see, mile after mile past lives of everyday folks just like us, past hitchhikers trying to convey with a look and a thumb why they are worthy of a ride, past Mom and Pop diners, Texaco gas stations, and fast food drive-throughs."

Etymology

Named for the archetypical case in which such a business is run by a self-employed couple with children.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

mom and pops (plural) mom-and-pop (alternative)

Phrases

family business

Frequently Paired Words

family business big box

Questions

What does mom and pop mean?: A small business, often but not always owned or operated by a family.
Where does mom and pop come from?: Named for the archetypical case in which such a business is run by a self-employed couple with children.

How to pronounce mom and pop

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