Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do

At a loss for an original message to put on your Mother's Day card? Consult this list of verbs to remember all your mother has done for you.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. treasure
    any possession that is highly valued by its owner
    “What Mommy meant to say is what a treasure her little Penny is.” They Both Die at the End
  2. nourish
    give food or nourishment to
    She didn’t want to face the temptation of eating even one morsel herself that could nourish their growing bodies. Hidden Figures
  3. assist
    give help; be of service
    “Well, looks like you are comfortable here. Is there anything else I can assist you with?” The Last Cuentista
  4. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    Mamá gave us a pained look, shook her head, and followed him, trying to console him. Breaking Through
  5. protect
    shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
    “If the American people are not willing to protect Mother’s Day from the hordes of money schemers that would overwhelm it with their schemes, then we shall cease having a Mother’s Day—and we know how.” National Geographic
  6. diagnose
    subject to a medical analysis
    As soon as Dr. Howard had officially diagnosed me, Mom started quizzing her about treatments. How to Disappear Completely
  7. encourage
    inspire with confidence
    Candice’s mother had been encouraging her to walk over and introduce herself to the boy, but Candice hadn’t seen the point. The Parker Inheritance
  8. edify
    make understand
    So is the Murdoch empire stuffing our children's heads with dangerous nonsense while pretending to edify them? The Guardian
  9. mortify
    cause to feel shame
    Godly glamour moms who invited your friends over for tea and guy talk—that was just mortifying. The Mark of Athena
  10. cherish
    be fond of
    Instead of buying Pa a coffeemaker that would have to be replaced within a year, Ma made him an I love you, Diego mug that he cherishes. What If It's Us
  11. champion
    someone who fights for a cause
    But the holiday has more somber roots: It was founded for mourning women to remember fallen soldiers and work for peace. And when the holiday went commercial, its greatest champion, Anna Jarvis, gave everything to fight it, dying penniless and broken in a sanitarium. National Geographic
  12. motivate
    give an incentive for action
    They have all motivated me to go above and beyond everyone’s expectations. The Freedom Writers Diary
  13. amaze
    affect with wonder
    It was amazing to see an entirely different group of people express their love, sadness, and appreciation for Abuela. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
  14. engender
    call forth
    When Isabella’s mother learned of her daughter’s twin, she became determined to bring the girls together, setting both families on an unforgettable journey that engendered questions about race and identity. Washington Post
  15. beget
    have children
    But while this description of the mechanism of heredity solved Mendel’s question—how does like beget like?—it failed to solve Darwin's converse riddle: How does like beget unlike? The Gene
  16. bring forth
    bring into existence
    Aunt Elizabeth said it was better for the baby, but also: I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shall bring forth children. The Handmaid's Tale
  17. sustain
    supply with necessities and support
    This woman and her children had a long way to go, with nothing to sustain them. Endangered
  18. foster
    raise in place of a child's biological parents
    “They asked us if we wanted to foster,” Grace’s mother explained, and even now, sixteen years later, Grace could see the lines of regret that Joaquin had etched on her face. Far from the Tree
  19. raise
    bring up
    The legacy of slavery very much shaped my grandmother and the way she raised her nine children. Just Mercy
  20. rear
    bring up
    Her mom had organized several Mother’s Day Work Clubs that addressed child rearing and public health issues, and Jarvis wanted to commemorate her and the work of all mothers. CNN
  21. parent
    bring up
    She was sixty-two years old then and had parented two older daughters while in the White House. Becoming
  22. enjoy
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Our godmothers waited on us hand and foot, and we began to enjoy and even revel in the attention. Cheaper by the Dozen
  23. manage
    handle effectively
    All she managed was to feed the baby. Amal Unbound
  24. care for
    be fond of; be attached to
    The truth was that the person their mother cared for the most, and always came first, was their father. Finding Junie Kim
  25. deal
    come to terms with
    “Maybe she’d deal with all this better with her friend,” Mom added. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
  26. handle
    manage effectively
    Living with my mom, I saw how she used language to cross boundaries, handle situations, navigate the world. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
  27. hold dear
    be fond of; be attached to
    She couldn’t believe that just a few days ago the Earth Mother had awoken and almost destroyed everything Piper held dear. Blood of Olympus
  28. wish
    feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of
    I wish Dad would come and help us because Mam has to stop every few steps and lean against a wall. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
  29. worry
    be concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
    “It’s not that we don’t trust you. Your ummi worries what will happen to you if you go far away from home.” Love, Hate & Other Filters
  30. vex
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “Ah, yes, I hear these naughty ones go to vex you, Mees Marsch. If so again, call at me and I come,” he said, with a threatening frown that delighted the little wretches. Little Women
  31. concern
    something or someone that causes anxiety
    Our transportation was Momma’s major concern for some weeks. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  32. occupy
    live in (a certain place)
    Sonia is still living there with his mother, settled back into the room she had occupied as a girl. The Namesake
  33. cleanse
    clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing
    She had the doctor trait which some dogs possess; and as a mother cat washes her kittens, so she washed and cleansed Buck’s wounds. The Call of the Wild
  34. make clean
    make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
    He had learned that no crime was beyond atonement, that even he, defiled by a mother’s murder, could be made clean again. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
  35. campaign
    be an advocate for
    While he had been out campaigning for the “Southern way of life” all those years, she had been left to raise the children. The Best of Enemies
  36. contend
    be engaged in a fight
    My mother could contend against the hairy beasts whether flesh or ghost because she could eat them, and she could not-eat them on the days when good people fast. The Woman Warrior
  37. struggle
    make a strenuous or labored effort
    Like virtually every Negro woman she knew, she struggled to find the balance between spending time with her children at home and spending time for them, for her family, at a job. Hidden Figures
  38. defend
    protect against a challenge or attack
    Jarvis took great pains to acquire and defend her role as “Mother of Mother's Day,” and to focus the day on children celebrating their mothers. National Geographic
  39. press
    put pressure or force upon something
    Joanna pressed her cheek to her baby’s face and her tears mixed with its blood. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  40. push
    press, drive, or impel to action or completion of an action
    Thinking about the times I suspected something was wrong but didn’t push Jesse to talk about it keeps me awake most nights. We Are the Ants
  41. talk
    exchange thoughts
    One time she and Mom had been talking about numbers, and Mom had said that they were symbolic. The Strangers
  42. babble
    gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby
    I try to meditate on the sound of Gran’s voice, to be carried away by her happy babble. If I Stay
  43. adopt
    take into one's family
    “My parents are divorcing, Joaquin’s parents want to adopt him, so you better have a good story. And don’t say, ‘I want to find my bio mom,’ or I’ll pinch you harder this time.” Far from the Tree
  44. advocate
    speak, plead, or argue in favor of
    Marsha held on despite these challenges and started advocating for some of the younger women. Just Mercy
  45. sing
    produce tones with the voice
    She says her mother sings on a radio program, under a different name, and we do overhear her mother practicing scales in the living room, in a loud quavery voice. Cat's Eye
  46. remind
    put in the mind of someone
    She was smart, kind, and gentle, and she reminded me of my mother, so I worked hard to make her proud of me. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina
  47. play
    engage in recreational activities rather than work
    But busy mothers don't have to drop all other priorities to play with their children all day. Van Sluijs says just small changes—walking to the park instead of driving or playing a good game of tag instead of a board game—can make a difference. NPR
  48. read
    interpret something that is written or printed
    Even though Big Ma read her Scripture daily, she hadn’t considered forgiveness where Cecile was concerned. One Crazy Summer
  49. cook
    prepare a hot meal
    Mom’s not cooking and watching renovation shows as much, but now she spends her time hovering around me. P.S. I Miss You
  50. bandage
    apply a piece of soft material to cover and protect
    She finished quickly and proceeded to bandage me with a quick efficiency I admired. The Name of the Wind
  51. soothe
    cause to feel better
    Gentle Mother, strength of women, help our daughters through this fray, soothe the wrath and tame the fury, teach us all a kinder way.
    A Clash of Kings
  52. comfort
    give moral or emotional strength to
    Mama was dejected, too, but she tried to comfort me. Bad Boy
  53. teach
    impart skills or knowledge to
    “You are both Black, and your mama taught you to hold your heads up and be proud. You’re Turners, and that comes with a legacy.” Root Magic
  54. remember
    show appreciation to
    "It's a sort of a poignant story because there's so much love in it," says Jane. "And I think what has come out of it is a nice thing. People do remember their mom, just the way she would have wanted them to." BBC
  55. recognize
    express obligation, thanks, or gratitude for
    Mrs Jarvis had spent her life mobilising mothers to care for their children, says historian Katharine Antolini, and she wanted mothers' work to be recognised. BBC
  56. listen
    pay close attention to; give heed to
    “Howe called for women to gather once a year in parlors, churches, or social halls, to listen to sermons, present essays, sing hymns or pray if they wished—all in the name of promoting peace,” said Katharine Antolini, an historian at West Virginia Wesleyan College and author of Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis...National Geographic
  57. attend
    give heed to
    “Madam,” said Lucius Clarke, “could you please attend to your daughter. She is holding a very fragile, very precious, quite expensive doll.” The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
  58. carry
    physically move while supporting, by vehicle, hands, or body
    My grandmother carried me back into her own bedroom and put me on the table. The Witches
  59. support
    give moral or psychological aid or courage to
    Mom, who supported Lori’s New York plans and kept saying she wished she were going to the big city herself, suggested that Lori apply to the Cooper Union art school. The Glass Castle
  60. miss
    feel or suffer from the lack of
    “Yes, I worked with your mom on that project. We all miss her. It took Ray and me a long time to be able to envision moving forward without her.” The Line Tender
Created on Wed Apr 25 12:29:46 EDT 2012 (updated Fri Jan 12 11:20:32 EST 2024)

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