foster home

noun

plural foster homes

: a home or homelike setting where a person or animal is placed for temporary care: such as

a

: a home in which a child receives care from a foster parent

The child, her adopted parents later learned, had been abandoned by her single mother and sent through a series of foster homes …

—Deborah Bloom

Treehouse is a planned intergenerational community, created in the hope that a close-knit support network can prevent children from bouncing from one foster home to another and give them tools to succeed.

—Pam Belluck

b

: a household or similar setting providing temporary care to an animal (such as one that is injured or awaiting adoption)

She had provided a foster home to more than a dozen of the program's birds before and had found the work highly rewarding.

—Dugan Arnett

The cat project currently has 150 cats in foster homes, aside from the many cats in the shelter itself.

—Patricia Camerota

Examples of foster home in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

She is set to be placed in a foster home for her recovery. —Charna Flam, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Rain, who is thought to be around 2 to 3 years old, is now in a foster home with other dogs to keep her company. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025

While living in a foster home, the young Chihuahua became known for her love of basking in the sun and chewing on bones. —Simone Jasper, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2025

Some of the most vulnerable Americans — including people who are hospitalized, kids in foster homes and those living in remote areas — will face more hurdles applying for disability benefits, according to one advocate who spoke with Axios and was at the meeting. —Emily Peck, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foster home

• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb
• centrosome
• chromosome
• cytochrome
• hippodrome
• honeycomb
• liposome
• meerschaum
• metronome
• microtome

Kids Definition

foster home

noun

: a household in which an orphaned, neglected, or delinquent child is placed for care

Legal Definition

foster home

noun

: a household in which care is provided to a child who has been orphaned or removed from the home of his or her natural parents (as for reasons of abuse, neglect, or delinquency)