foster parent

noun

plural foster parents

1

: a person temporarily serving as a parent for a child who has lost or been removed from a parent's care and who is not the person's own biological child

specifically, US : such a person who has been trained and approved by a government or social-service agency

Many foster parents … continue to act selflessly as important way stations for at-risk kids while their biological parents get their lives together.

—Timothy Roche

Foster parents adopt children in Ventura County [California] more often than relatives do.

—Stephanie Hoops

2

a

: a person temporarily caring for an animal (such as one that is injured or awaiting adoption)

The 36-year-old Owosso [Michigan] native became a foster parent to dogs through the shelter five years ago.

—Anamaria Dickerson

b

: an animal caring for an unrelated offspring

Cowbirds deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds, and unknowing foster parents raise baby cowbirds along with their own young.

—The Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News

Tom hoped the little eaglet could be placed into an active nest, adopted and raised by wild foster parents, and could ultimately fly free.

—Massachusetts Wildlife

Examples of foster parent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Penelope also loves car rides, but the foster parent is still working on her dog's leash-walking skills. —David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025

Indeed, less than 1% of perpetrators of child maltreatment fatalities reported nationwide for Fiscal Year 2023 were foster parents or staff of a group home or residential treatment facility. —Marie Cohen, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2025

Kids beaten for minor infractions of rules that were never fully explained until some foster parent exploded in rage. —Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 16 Feb. 2025

All necessary supplies will be provided to Effie’s foster parents. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foster parent

• aberrant
• apparent
• declarant
• grandparent
• stepparent
• transparent
• errant
• semitransparent