stepmother

noun

step·moth·er | \ ˈstep-ˌmə-t͟hər

Definition of stepmother

: 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

Three days later, a 14-year-old in Alabama confessed to killing five family members—his father, stepmother and three siblings—with a handgun. — The Economist, "Republican states loosen their gun laws following mass shootings," 5 Sep. 2019 At a makeshift memorial this week in Santa Barbara harbor, an administrator at a personal injury law firm approached Steve Quitasol, the brother of a man who died in the fire with his three daughters and their stepmother. — Los Angeles Times, "California dive boat owner quickly asks judge to limit payouts to victims’ families," 5 Sep. 2019 Young confirmed the victims were the suspect’s father, stepmother and three younger siblings. — Gina Martinez, Time, "Alabama Boy, 14, Confesses to Killing 5 Family Members, Including 6-Month-Old Brother, Police Say," 3 Sep. 2019 The victims were the boy’s father, stepmother and siblings, sheriff’s office spokesman Stephen Young told CNN. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "14-year-old confesses to killing his dad, stepmom and three siblings in their Alabama home, authorities say," 3 Sep. 2019 The bond included $300,000 of his own cash along with $170,000 in property from his father, stepmother and friend, who sat in the courtroom gallery. — Evan Sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "Engineer charged with stealing Google’s self-driving car secrets," 27 Aug. 2019 Eric spoke at the Republican National Convention, alongside his stepmother and two sisters. — Julianne Pepitone, Town & Country, "Everything You Need to Know About Eric Trump," 21 Aug. 2019 Then 27-year-old Honor Elizabeth Wainio called her stepmother. — Wired, "Pagers, Pay Phones, and Dialup: How We Communicated on 9/11," 11 Sep. 2019 Others who attended included Jennifer Guttenberg, mother of Jaime Guttenberg; Patricia Padauy Oliver, mother of Joaquin Oliver; Annika Dworet, mother of Nicholas Dworet; and Caryn DeSacial Schachter, stepmother of Alex Schachter. — Michael Mayo, latimes.com, "Mother's Day for Parkland moms: An empty, aching feeling," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stepmother.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.