mama's boy

noun

1. a boy or man showing excessive attachment to or dependence on his mother.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mama's boy¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Idioms and Phrases

A sissy, especially a boy or man excessively attached to his mother. For example, The children called Tom a mama's boy because he ran home with every little problem . This sexist expression has survived despite its pejorative tone. [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

He’s an insecure mama’s boy who desperately works to make himself into the type of guy who’ll be wanted and respected.

From Los Angeles Times

The self-proclaimed mama’s boy and former pro basketball player who now works as a day trader will become only the second Black lead of the series, which launched in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times

And that worries him, in ways that go beyond the financial: “I sometimes don’t want to come off as a mama’s boy because I feel like women don’t like that.”

From Slate

“I was writing the record, I was having a bad day, you know, bad mental day. And I just remember I sat there, and I said to myself, ‘At the end of the day, I’m just still my mama’s boy.’

From Los Angeles Times

Here’s a Latino math question: how do you guys get to be both the perro and the mama’s boy?

From Los Angeles Times