How to Use mother-in-law in a Sentence

mother-in-law

noun
  • My mother-in-law drives me bonkers.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Like me, my mother-in-law is a huge chai fan.
    — Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
  • His ex-wife lived here with his ex-mother-in-law.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The idea came from his mother-in-law, hence the catchy name.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Like, my mother-in-law is Cuban.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
  • My mother-in-law, who flies in from out of town, even helps out.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Rivera’s mother-in-law, who helped with her youngest, died six months ago.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
  • And then his second for his mother-in-law.
    — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
  • But two months ago, his wife, mother-in-law and one of his sons were killed.
    — Antoinette Radford, CNN, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Because again, my mother-in-law was my age.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
  • Within a few years of that time, my mother-in-law passed away.
    — Christine Chung, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2023
  • My mother-in-law dresses in clothes that are too tight or too short.
    — Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023
  • That last call was tougher on me than my mother-in-law’s meatloaf.
    — Charlie Smart, New York Times, 14 May 2023
  • Is a car a coupe if your mother-in-law can squeeze into the back seat?
    — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 12 Apr. 2023
  • My father-in-law was too busy, so my mother-in-law came alone.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023
  • Yes, even in a cooler for hours on the way to your mother-in-law’s house.
    — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
  • My mother-in-law does a lot of taking and not a lot of giving.
    — Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Mar. 2023
  • His mother-in-law called and said her printer was not working.
    — Peter Cohan, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
  • My mother-in-law was very hurt and offended, and that sealed it.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 29 July 2025
  • My mother-in-law and sister-in-law wore white gowns to my wedding.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Her mother-in-law is sleepwalking with a gun.
    — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
  • My mother-in-law gave me one from my wife’s younger brother’s closet.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Gift this to a mother-in-law who loves to liven up their home with fresh flowers.
    — Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 19 Sep. 2024
  • Those first days at home were softened by her mother-in-law’s steady presence.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But her mother-in-law didn't take the correction well.
    — Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • To make matters worse, the mother-in-law has now asked her long-term boyfriend to move in, too.
    — Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • For me, that’s my mother-in-law’s brownie trifle.
    — Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2026
  • They've been called granny flats, carriage houses, or mother-in-law suites.
    — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 17 May 2026
  • So her husband, who is still working, had to stay home and care for his mother-in-law.
    — Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
  • My wife just came back from taking my 86-year-old mother-in-law to the movie.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 23 July 2023

Some of 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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