stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchī(-ə)ld 
1
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
2
: one that fails to receive proper care or attention
is no longer a stepchild in the family of nations—
F. R. Smith
F. R. SmithExamples of stepchild in a Sentence
The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.
Recent Examples on the Web
The fine print: The study's authors collected data for women and nonbinary legislators with biological children, foster children, stepchildren and formally or informally adopted children under 18.
—Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Harris has two stepchildren with her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
Family: Husband, John; son, Sam; and two stepchildren, Michael and Jennifer.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2024
At a press conference in early September, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said exceptions will be made for adopting children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China, up to the third degree of kinship.
—Maya Cederlund, NBC News, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stepchild 
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Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Harris has two stepchildren with her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
Family: Husband, John; son, Sam; and two stepchildren, Michael and Jennifer.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2024
At a press conference in early September, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said exceptions will be made for adopting children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China, up to the third degree of kinship.
—Maya Cederlund, NBC News, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stepchild
Dictionary Entries Near stepchild
Cite this Entry
“Stepchild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepchild. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchīld
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
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