stepfather

American  

[step-fah-ther] / ˈstɛpˌfɑ ðər /

noun

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

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stepfather British  

/ ˈstɛpˌfɑːðə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• stepfatherly adverb

Etymology

Origin of stepfather

First recorded before 900; Middle English stepfader, Old English stēopfæder; step- + father ( def. )

Example Sentences

Her stepfather, Peter, said they believed staff "would just brush off Molly's concerns" about her health and "not take them seriously".

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

His mother later married George Knight, a stepfather welcomed by Norris as “one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Your father not only withheld that financial support and love and affection from your 9-year-old self, he also blocked the way for your stepfather to completely fulfill that role.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

With the support of her mother and stepfather, Fleming worked with a therapist and a doctor and started to socially and medically transition, according to the Times.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

There were times when Allen, on patrol and by then Nicholas’s putative stepfather, would catch him on the street and write up a summons but then let him go.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times