stepmother

noun

step·​moth·​er ˈstep-ˌmə-t͟hər How to pronounce stepmother (audio)
: the wife of one's parent when distinct from one's natural or legal mother

Examples of stepmother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
She was raised by her father and stepmother, following her mother’s disappearance. Anna Turning, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024 My father passed away a year ago and my family have all been very inclusive with my stepmother. R. Eric Thomas, The Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2024 Any millennial pop-culture enthusiast worth their salt sobbed over the ending of Stepmom (1998), when Susan Sarandon’s dying mother insists on taking a family photo that includes the young stepmother (Julia Roberts) she’s given grief to throughout the movie. Eliza Berman, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice finds Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara) returning to Winter River for the funeral of the Deetz family patriarch, Charles. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stepmother 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stepmother was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stepmother

Cite this Entry

“Stepmother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepmother. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stepmother

noun
step·​moth·​er -ˌmət͟h-ər How to pronounce stepmother (audio)
: the wife of one's father when distinct from one's natural or legal mother

More from Merriam-Webster on stepmother

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