parent
/ˈpeərənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈperənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈper-ənt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpeə.rənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈper.ənt/ (ame, ipa)
parent — noun
- parentsingular
- parentsplural
1. someone who has a child — usually the mother or father, but also a guardian, an
someone who has a child — usually the mother or father, but also a guardian, an adoptive carer, or any adult raising that child as their own; also used of animals that have offspring.
Maya's parents drove her to swimming class every Saturday morning.
plural possessive: [name]'s parents
Every parent at the school meeting wanted smaller classes for the children.
singular generic: every parent
After the accident, Aunt Rosa became a parent to her two young nephews.
The fox cubs followed their parent across the snow toward the warm den.
Marcus thanked his adoptive parents for everything they had given him.
文法句型
parent of [someone]
用法筆記
Often plural ('parents') when referring to a child's mother and father together. The singular covers a stepparent, adoptive parent, or guardian acting in the same role.
常見錯誤
2. a larger business or organization that owns and controls one or more smaller bus
a larger business or organization that owns and controls one or more smaller businesses, which still operate under their own name.
Sony is the parent of several film studios and music labels around the world.
parent of [subsidiaries]
Profits from the small bakery chain went straight back to its parent in Tokyo.
its parent for the owning company
The airline's parent company announced major changes to staff pay.
Lina's start-up was bought last year and now reports to a parent in Berlin.
- holding company
specifically a firm whose only role is owning others
- owner
general term, not limited to corporate structure
- subsidiary
the smaller company owned by the parent
- branch
a local office that is part of a larger organization
文法句型
parent company / parent organization
the parent of [smaller company]
用法筆記
Almost always used as a modifier: 'parent company', 'parent organization', 'parent group'. Distinguish from sense 1 (a person): if the subject is a business or institution, this is the right sense.
常見錯誤
parent — verb
- parentpresent simple I / you / we / they
- parents3rd person singular
- parenting-ing form
- parentedpast simple
1. to look after a child day by day — feeding them, teaching them, and helping them
to look after a child day by day — feeding them, teaching them, and helping them grow — in the way a mother or father does.
Carlos and his husband have parented three children since 2018.
transitive: parent + object
Sofia parents her twins gently, kneeling down to listen when they cry.
intransitive-style adverb: parent + gently
Dr. Tanaka writes about how to parent a child with autism.
The Watanabe sisters parented their younger brother after their mother fell ill.
文法句型
parent [a child]
parent (used without an object)
用法筆記
Often used in continuous and gerund forms ('parenting', 'how to parent'). The intransitive use describes the activity in general; the transitive use names a specific child.