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
During the first half of the game, the NBC Sunday Night Football crew tossed to the suite to show Swift excitedly hugging her future father-in-law, who was wearing a Kelce jersey, while Swift’s game day outfit featured a mini Chiefs jersey dress with red striping detail in a nod to KC’s colors.
—
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
The deal accelerated over several crucial moments — Israel’s strike on Qatar, discussions on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York City and Jared Kushner’s conversations with his father-in-law, these sources said.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
On July 14, a jury of 10 women and two men found Serafini guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder for the shooting that killed his father-in-law Gary Spohr, 70, and severely wounded his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, 68, at their home near Lake Tahoe.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Troy Edwards, Comey’s son-in-law, resigned from his position with the DOJ just minutes after his father-in-law was indicted.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for father-in-law
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.
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
The deal accelerated over several crucial moments — Israel’s strike on Qatar, discussions on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York City and Jared Kushner’s conversations with his father-in-law, these sources said.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
On July 14, a jury of 10 women and two men found Serafini guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder for the shooting that killed his father-in-law Gary Spohr, 70, and severely wounded his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, 68, at their home near Lake Tahoe.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Troy Edwards, Comey’s son-in-law, resigned from his position with the DOJ just minutes after his father-in-law was indicted.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for father-in-law
Cite this Entry
“Father-in-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/father-in-law. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share