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

Still, child care slots remain in short supply across wide swaths of New Mexico, even as the state extends assistance beyond working parents to grandparent guardians, foster parents and people experiencing homelessness. —Morgan Lee, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026

The most outspoken of the Turpin siblings, Jordan has been focused on healing from her horrific experiences with both her parents and foster parents. —Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026

Decades of research show children have better long-term outcomes for health, education and employment even though relative caregivers tend to be older, poorer and sicker than stranger foster parents. —Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026

The foster parents who took in six of the Turpin children pleaded guilty to child endangerment and false imprisonment in 2024. —ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foster parent

• aberrant
• apparent
• declarant
• grandparent
• stepparent
• transparent
• errant
• semitransparent