mother-in-law
noun
moth·er-in-law
ˈmə-t͟hər-ən-ˌlȯ 
ˈmət͟h-rən-,
ˈmə-t͟hərn-
plural mothers-in-law
ˈmə-t͟hər-zən-ˌlȯ
1
: the mother of one's spouse
2
archaic
: stepmother
Examples of mother-in-law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her disapproving future mother-in-law has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season but all hell breaks loose when a body turns up on the beach and everyone is suddenly a suspect.
—
Dana Feldman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
There’s a necessary restraint that always comes with conforming, especially in a foreign culture, and this building pressure becomes too much to bear when Jay eventually confronts his ex (and his mother-in-law) two-thirds of the way in.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
Her disapproving future mother-in-law, famous novelist Greer Garrison Winbury [Kidman], has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season — until a body turns up on the beach.
—Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024
But when her husband's father dies unexpectedly, the young couple decides to welcome her mother-in-law Solange (Kathryn Hunter) into their home.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother-in-law 
Dana Feldman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
There’s a necessary restraint that always comes with conforming, especially in a foreign culture, and this building pressure becomes too much to bear when Jay eventually confronts his ex (and his mother-in-law) two-thirds of the way in.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
Her disapproving future mother-in-law, famous novelist Greer Garrison Winbury [Kidman], has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season — until a body turns up on the beach.
—Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024
But when her husband's father dies unexpectedly, the young couple decides to welcome her mother-in-law Solange (Kathryn Hunter) into their home.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother-in-law
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mother-in-law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Mother-in-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother-in-law. Accessed 22 Sep. 2024.
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