stepmother
Americannoun
-
stepmothers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stepmother
First recorded before 900; Middle English stepmoder, Old English stēopmōdor; step- + mother 1 ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
He alleged that his stepmother, Queen Camilla, leaked stories about him to improve her image.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said that the news of Tunchanok's death had confirmed their fears.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Ramirez, who grew up in Bellflower, found his way to food truck manufacturing through his stepmother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
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
The spiders came back as soon as her stepmother had left the room.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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
She evokes vamps and vampires, wicked stepmothers, witches.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2022
Prince Humperdinck was but a child then, and since the only stepmothers he knew were the evil ones from stories, he always called Bella that or “E. S.” for short.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
