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

Marco Bello / Reuters Standing outside his father's home in Pensacola, Florida, amid the debris and damage left behind by Isaias, one man recounted how the storm took his stepmother's life and severely injured his father. — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026

My stepmother took out her anger and frustration with her husband on me. — R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026

But the sisters’ stepmother, who raised them with Katie’s father, hadn’t connected with Kari over that time, either, despite them all still living in Mountain Home. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026

So, alongside the compliments there’s an awful lot of real estate dedicated to his enemies, including his stepmother, Raine, whose many offenses included installing wall-to-wall carpeting in the family manse. — Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 3 Oct. 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