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.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foster family

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

From Barron's ● May 23, 2026

He spent more than a year in hospital, before moving to live with a foster family.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

After spending three months in Hanawon, a dedicated settlement support centre in the capital, Geumseong, then 15, was placed with a foster family and started school.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 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

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

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste