mom-and-pop

adjective

ˈmäm-ən(d)-ˈpäp How to pronounce mom-and-pop (audio)
1
: being or relating to a small owner-operated business
a mom-and-pop grocery
2
: small-scale

Examples of mom-and-pop in a Sentence

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.
Listen to this article The coffee wars are filtering down to Ramona mom-and-pop shops that are finding their own ways to stay competitive with Starbucks and other big retailers. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025 The Batavia MainStreet group has seen many of the small, fledgling mom-and-pop business that have taken part in the Boardwalk Shops program move on to have brick-and-mortar sites of their own. — David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 Musk’s persona has been considered a key driver of interest from mom-and-pop traders in the stock, but there are some signs that his foray into politics has shifted public sentiment . — Alex Harring, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025 Every mom-and-pop shop can have the same level of customer service as an enterprise. — Nick Newsom, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mom-and-pop

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of mom-and-pop was in 1945

Rhymes for mom-and-pop

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Browse Nearby Words

MOM
mom-and-pop
Mombasa
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Cite this Entry

“Mom-and-pop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mom-and-pop. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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