foster family

American  

[fahs-ter fam-uh-lee, fam-lee] / ˈfɑs tər ˌfæm ə li, ˈfæm li /

noun

1. a family that provides legal guardianship and home care to a child awaiting long-term placement.

2. a family that provides a home and care for a pet awaiting adoption or for a wild animal that is orphaned or recovering from an injury.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foster family

Chico, his German shepherd, was sent to a foster family in March and permanently rehomed last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

His foster family described him as "the sweetest, kindest boy who put others before himself."

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

"Elsa is a beautiful little girl, a raucous bundle of excitement and laughter," family court judge Carol Atkinson said this month, giving her foster family the green light to begin the process to adopt her.

From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026

The teen, from Honduras and identified only as "Henry," was taken away from his foster family in Pensacola, Florida, "in handcuffs and leg irons," the Miami Herald reported.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025

And since then she’d get pulled from one foster family and plunked down in another, but did she ever cry?

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden