foster child
Americannoun
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a child raised by someone who is not their biological or adoptive parent.
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a needy child, such as one living in an impoverished country, supported or aided by contribution to a specific charity.
noun
Etymology
Origin of foster child
1150–1200; Middle English fostercild
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.
She said she believed the theft may have been a part of a coping mechanism and likened herself to a foster child who may hoard items or food as a means of soothing themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025
A former foster child who met his wife when he was 19, Major Haley has largely orbited her ambitions since.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
Her husband said the couple had "never been without a foster child".
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024
The state pays Amerigroup a fixed amount per foster child to provide coverage and hold down costs.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2023
She slept alongside another foster child, who wet the bed, and every morning she chose her clothes from a box of hand-me-downs.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
