stepmother

[step-muhth-er]

noun

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

stepmother

/ ˈstɛpˌmʌðə /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• stepmotherly adverb
• stepmotherliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stepmother¹

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

Example Sentences

Ms Kepner was on vacation in the Caribbean with her father, stepmother and three step-siblings when she was discovered dead in her cabin.

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“Yes. Theodora was her stepmother, and she could not have asked for a better one. A few years later, Theodora and Samuel had another daughter.”

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The review authors said her father and stepmother were "a lethal combination", and that "with hindsight it is clear that they should never have been trusted" with her care.

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Council staff tried to check up on 10-year-old Sara Sharif the day before she was murdered by her father and stepmother, but went to the wrong address, a review has found.

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Related: My stepmother’s lawyer called us ‘greedy’ for fighting for our father’s estate.

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