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
In addition to Bell, Mellen is survived by her son Louis Baker Bell Jr., and two stepchildren, Lucinda Mellen and Henry Mellen.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 23 Dec. 2024
He is survived by four stepchildren: Justin Krumb, Carrie Spence, Dan Lindsay and Darrin Lindsay.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Interestingly, Lori’s mother, Susan, later married Philip’s father, Fayez, after her divorce from Krohn, making their kids stepchildren as well as spouses.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024
In September, Hamrick appeared on the British talk show Loose Women and spoke about having stepchildren who are older than her.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stepchild 
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.
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 23 Dec. 2024
He is survived by four stepchildren: Justin Krumb, Carrie Spence, Dan Lindsay and Darrin Lindsay.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Interestingly, Lori’s mother, Susan, later married Philip’s father, Fayez, after her divorce from Krohn, making their kids stepchildren as well as spouses.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024
In September, Hamrick appeared on the British talk show Loose Women and spoke about having stepchildren who are older than her.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 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 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchīld
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share