foster parent

noun

plural foster parents

1

: a person temporarily serving as a parent for a child who has lost or been removed from a parent's care and who is not the person's own biological child

specifically, US : such a person who has been trained and approved by a government or social-service agency

Many foster parents … continue to act selflessly as important way stations for at-risk kids while their biological parents get their lives together.

—Timothy Roche

Foster parents adopt children in Ventura County [California] more often than relatives do.

—Stephanie Hoops

2

a

: a person temporarily caring for an animal (such as one that is injured or awaiting adoption)

The 36-year-old Owosso [Michigan] native became a foster parent to dogs through the shelter five years ago.

—Anamaria Dickerson

b

: an animal caring for an unrelated offspring

Cowbirds deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds, and unknowing foster parents raise baby cowbirds along with their own young.

—The Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News

Tom hoped the little eaglet could be placed into an active nest, adopted and raised by wild foster parents, and could ultimately fly free.

—Massachusetts Wildlife

Examples of foster parent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just 30 minutes before first responders arrived at the scene, Dakota had been at a neighbor’s home and asked her to adopt him and said his foster parents hit him and wouldn’t speak to his caseworker, investigators said, WGN reported. —Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2024

The need for foster parents in the U.S. remains crucial. —Abby Cruz, ABC News, 15 June 2024

An 88-year-old Maryland grandmother has been honored for serving as a loving foster parent to more than 40 children for decades. —Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024

And only to kin who are licensed as foster parents. —Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1