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foster family

American

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

noun

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She started living with a foster family, but within two years moved into a children's home in Hertfordshire where she stayed until just before her 18th birthday.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

The children have been placed with a French foster family in Lisbon pending their return to France.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

The daughter of an American GI, Williams was raised in a children's home and with a foster family in Tonyrefail, her brother said.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

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

“We’ve never been a foster family before, so this is all new.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023