mother hen

noun

: a person who assumes an overly protective maternal attitude

Examples of mother hen in a Sentence

a football coach who fusses over his players like a mother hen
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Not Ready: This is an opportunity for you, a de facto mother hen figure, to push everyone out of the nest and encourage them to fly on their own. R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025 As Gemma placed the eggs in sawdust near the hen's perch, the soon-to-be mother hen rushed over, and attempted to sit on them even before Gemma was finished putting them all in. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025 Faye Chen of Double Chicken Please With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, bartender GN Chan has flown the award-laden Double Chicken Please coop to spend his holiday with family in Taiwan while his co-founder and mother hen Faye Chen keeps the nest warm. Ingu Chen, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2025 Perhaps no one is fonder of the Eola swans than City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who has become something of a mother hen to the famous fowl. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 24 July 2024 In one of the better videos on the internet this week, a hungry hawk gets in a fight with a defensive mother hen. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Feb. 2024 Darwin vividly recalls the day 21 years ago when one of the chicken eggs that was supposed to hatch looked rotten, and had been abandoned by its mother hen. Cathy Free, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023 During the photo shoot, Giannis flitted around like a proud mother hen, beaming at Alex. Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2023 Sarah is the mother hen of King’s employees, taking special care of men like Rooster. Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mother hen was in 1952

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mother hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20hen. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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