: being a small owner-operated business
a mom-and-pop candy store
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/mom"euhn pop"/, adj., n., pl. mom-and-pops.
adj.
1. of or pertaining to a small retail business, usually owned and operated by members of a family: a mom-and-pop grocery.
2. of or indicating something, as an enterprise, investment, or project, that is independent, small in scope, and modestly financed.
n.
3. a small-scale, owner-operated business.
[1950-55, Amer.]
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mom-and-pop UK US adjective american
a mom-and-pop business is owned by a single family that also does most or all of the work
Thesaurus: words used to describe businesses and companieshyponym
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adj. informal denoting a small store or business of a type often run by a married couple
most of the town relies on a local mom-and-pop ISP for their e-mail
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/ˈmɑːmənˈpɑːp/ adj, always used before a noun
chiefly US : owned and run by a married couple or by a small number of people
Big department stores can drive mom-and-pop shops/stores out of business.
a mom-and-pop business that grew to become a large corporation
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(of a shop/store or business) owned and run by a husband and wife, or by a family
Useful english dictionary. 2012.