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Meaning & use

non-custodial parent

noun·AdvancedlegalAmerican

Last updated

UK/ˌnɒn kʌˈstəʊdiəl ˈpeərənt/
US/ˌnɑːn kʌˈstoʊdiəl ˈperənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablelegal

    A parent who does not have main physical care of a child after separation or divorce, though usually still sees the child.

    Grammar: A compound noun with a hyphen; plural is non-custodial parents.

    Patterns

    • the non-custodial parent of someone
    • a non-custodial parent pays something

    As the non-custodial parent, he sees his daughter every second weekend.

    The court ordered the non-custodial parent to pay child support.

    A non-custodial parent can ask the court for more time with the children.

  2. nouncountablelegal

    A parent without legal custody, which means a court has given decision-making power to the other parent.

    Grammar: Used in court and welfare language, often with rights and duties.

    Patterns

    • rights of the non-custodial parent

    The rights of the non-custodial parent depend on the court order.

    A non-custodial parent may still receive school reports.

    Some states give the non-custodial parent a say in major decisions.

Word forms

pluralnon-custodial parents

Common combinations

non-custodial parent pays
The non-custodial parent pays support each month.
visiting rights of the non-custodial parent
The visiting rights of the non-custodial parent were set by the court.
become a non-custodial parent
After the divorce he became a non-custodial parent.
support from the non-custodial parent
The family receives support from the non-custodial parent.
as a non-custodial parent
As a non-custodial parent, she calls her son every evening.

Synonyms and how they differ

absent parent
Absent parent suggests the parent is not involved at all, whereas non-custodial only describes the legal or living arrangement.
visiting parent
Visiting parent focuses on the time spent with the child, while non-custodial focuses on custody.
non-resident parent
Non-resident parent is the British phrase for a parent who lives elsewhere and is less legal in tone.

Opposites

custodial parentresident parent

Word family

custody noun
legal responsibility for a child
custodial adjective
relating to custody
custodian noun
a person who has charge of something
custodial parent noun
the parent who has main care of the child

Commonly confused: non-custodial parent or absent parent?

non-custodial parent vs absent parent

An absent parent is not involved in the child's life, but a non-custodial parent may be very involved despite not having custody.

Practice

After the divorce, the children lived with their mother, and their father became the ____ parent.

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