father-in-law

noun

ˈfä-t͟hə-rən-ˌlȯ 

-t͟hərn-ˌlȯ

plural fathers-in-law ˈfä-t͟hər-zən-ˌlȯ 

1

: the father of one's spouse

2

archaic : stepfather

Examples of father-in-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her playoff run last year was marred by personal tragedy, however, as her father-in-law died only three days before the start of the Finals — and a few weeks before the birth of her second child. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024

Corgan was wearing his wedding tuxedo for the night, which his father-in-law had made for their 2023 wedding. —Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 10 Oct. 2024

Trump has been airing ads aimed at Arab Americans in Michigan, and his former director of national intelligence Ric Grenell and his daughter Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman, have been leading his outreach to the community. —Morgan Phillips, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2024

His tippling father-in-law Kiil (Chris Kendall) made his fortune from one of those tanneries. —Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

father-in-law

noun

fa·​ther-in-law

ˈfät͟h-(ə-)rən-ˌlȯ,

ˈfȧt͟h-,

-ərn-ˌlȯ

plural fathers-in-law

ˈfät͟h-ər-zən-,

ˈfȧt͟h-

: the father of one's husband or wife