stepmother

noun

step·​moth·​er ˈstep-ˌmə-t͟hər 

: the wife of one's parent when distinct from one's natural or legal mother

Examples of stepmother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Season 4 of the horror series is a retelling of the life of Lizzie Borden, a Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax in the 1800s. — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

The report claimed prosecutors had 25 new witnesses, some of whom had allegedly seen a hooded Lizzie at the window of the guest room where her stepmother Abby’s body was found. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026

After her father and stepmother were murdered by a hatchet-wielding killer in their Fall River, Massachusetts, home in 1892, suspicion eventually turned to Lizzie. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

Princess Diana had a contentious relationship with her stepmother, Countess Raine Spencer, during her childhood years at Althorp. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stepmother

• another
• godmother
• grandmother
• stepbrother
• brother
• mother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther

Kids Definition

stepmother

noun

step·​moth·​er -ˌmət͟h-ər 

: the wife of one's father when distinct from one's natural or legal mother