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

Examples of stepchild in a Sentence

The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.

Recent Examples on the Web

He is survived by his wife, two sons, two stepchildren and a grandson. —Magda Liszewska, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026

He is currently remarried and living in Tennessee with his wife and teenage stepchild, per his Facebook. —Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Virginia Trimble Ritter is survived by her son, Chuck, and three stepchildren. —Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025

Investigators believe Dickens killed three of his biological children — ages 6, 9, and 10 — as well as his 18-year-old stepchild, the sheriff's office said. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for stepchild

• beguiled
• brainchild
• compiled
• defiled
• exiled
• grandchild
• profiled
• refiled
• reviled
• stockpiled
• domiciled
• reconciled

Kids Definition

stepchild

noun

step·​child ˈstep-ˌchīld 

: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner