Mother Hubbard

noun

Mother Hub·​bard -ˈhə-bərd How to pronounce Mother Hubbard (audio)
Synonyms of Mother Hubbardnext
: a loose usually shapeless dress

Word History

Etymology

probably from Mother Hubbard, character in a nursery rhyme

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Mother Hubbard was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near Mother Hubbard

motherhouse

Mother Hubbard

Mothering Sunday

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Mother Hubbard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mother%20Hubbard. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Mother Hubbard

noun
Mother Hub·​bard ˌmət͟h-ər-ˈhəb-ərd How to pronounce Mother Hubbard (audio)
: a loose usually shapeless dress
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...