stepmother

American  

[step-muhth-er] / ˈstɛpˌmʌð ər /

noun

stepmothers plural

1. the wife, by a later marriage, of one's parent.

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stepmother British  

/ ˈstɛpˌmʌðə /

noun

1. a woman who has married one's father after the death or divorce of one's mother

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stepmotherliness
  noun
• stepmotherly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stepmothers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stepmother

First recorded before 900; Middle English stepmoder, Old English stēopmōdor; step- + mother ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stepmother stepmothers

A second crisis hit Flavio's campaign when his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, posted an Instagram video saying he had "disrespected me and mistreated me ... he said I didn't understand anything about politics."

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

She is also locked in a separate legal spat over Levon’s estate, where she has accused her stepmother, Sandra “Sandy” Helm, of misusing funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

My stepmother is 96 and owns the house I grew up in, in another town.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Sara's father and stepmother both attended the hearing via video links from prison.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

It was still a farmhouse in 1890, when her daddy died and her stepmother went to live with a grown son, Mr. French Gordy.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

And you thought spiteful stepmothers wreaked havoc only in fairy tales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

My tone may sound alarmist, but it’s my attempt to be realistic, especially based on the number of letters I receive from and about stepmothers in this column.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 20, 2026

“You might not have that money, but you have siblings, you have stepmothers, you have mothers — you have relationships and the complexities of blended families.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2022

Whatever rehabilitation wicked stepmothers have undergone of late encounters a setback in “White as Snow.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2021

Jim Button was motherless, too—and all you found in fairy tales were wicked stepmothers; heartless, jealous stepmothers...the list could go on forever.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke