Phrase guide

helicopter parent

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A parent who pays an inordinate amount of attention to their children and often makes decisions, particularly educational ones, normally the province of the student.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: parent

History

Etymology

From the tendency to hover over their children's lives, like a helicopter.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: pare helicòpter — overly attentive parent
  • Catalan: mare helicòpter — overly attentive parent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 直升機父母 /直升机父母 (zhíshēngjī fùmǔ) — overly attentive parent
  • Danish: curlingforælder — overly attentive parent
  • Dutch: helikopterouder — overly attentive parent
  • Finnish: hanhiemo — overly attentive parent
  • French: parent poule — overly attentive parent
  • German: Helicoptervater — overly attentive parent
  • Japanese: モンスターペアレント (monsutā pearento) — overly attentive parent
  • Japanese: モンペ (monpe) — overly attentive parent
  • Japanese: モンスターペアレンツ (monsutā pearentsu) — overly attentive parent
  • Norwegian Bokmål: helikopterforelder — overly attentive parent
  • Norwegian Bokmål: curlingforelder — overly attentive parent
  • Persian: والد هلیکوپتری (vâled-e helikopteri) — overly attentive parent
  • Polish: rodzic-helikopter — overly attentive parent
  • Swedish: curlingförälder — overly attentive parent