queen mother

noun

: a queen dowager who is mother of the reigning sovereign

Examples of queen mother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even Oprah Winfrey, queen mother herself, has reportedly considered taking it. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Sep. 2023 Throughout British history, there have been numerous queens dowager who were not queen mothers, including Joan of Navarre, the second wife of King Henry IV and stepmother to King Henry V, and Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII and stepmother to King Edward VI. Town & Country, 4 June 2023 Yet for a country that reveres its queen, the funeral of her husband was a genuine national moment — on a par, some said, with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the queen mother, in 2002, which drew more than a million people to watch her cortege pass from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle. Mark Landler, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2021 Yet for a country that reveres its queen, the funeral of her husband was a genuine national moment — on a par, some said, with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the queen mother, in 2002, which drew more than 1 million people to watch her cortege pass from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2021 The queen mother declares that’s how it’s always been, which is madness to Margaret. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 16 Nov. 2020 The clock ticks and the camera races, but for all the tension there’s predictably zero suspense: T’Challa is soon dead, leaving the princess and the queen mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), to grieve with their subjects. Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2023 The friend had presumably overlooked the new color schemes and upholsteries that Mr. Kime had chosen for the house, which had by then been passed on to the Prince of Wales, the queen mother having died in 2002. Alex Williams, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2022 So far this is all presented in the gauzy manner of a Hallmark Channel film, which makes Ginny’s disturbing flashbacks to her own childhood, in which her stern father and ice-queen mother were not exactly dog lovers, all the more odd. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'queen mother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of queen mother was in 1560

Dictionary Entries Near queen mother

Cite this Entry

“Queen mother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/queen%20mother. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

queen mother

noun
: the widowed mother of the king or queen who is currently reigning
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