Meaning & use
stepmother
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The woman who is married to your father but is not your biological mother.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a stepmother' or 'my stepmother'.
Patterns
- someone's stepmother
- a stepmother to someone
After his parents divorced, his father remarried and he gained a stepmother.
My stepmother and I get along very well.
She became a stepmother to two young children when she married John.
nouncountable
A woman who takes on the role of a mother through marriage, not through birth or adoption.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive: 'her stepmother'.
Patterns
- someone's stepmother
- a stepmother to someone
His stepmother helped raise him from the age of five.
She felt like an outsider as the new stepmother.
Word forms
| plural | stepmothers |
|---|
Common combinations
- someone's stepmother
- My stepmother taught me how to cook.
- become a stepmother
- She became a stepmother when she married a widower with children.
- a wicked stepmother
- Fairy tales often feature a wicked stepmother.
- stepmother tongue
- He spoke his stepmother tongue with a slight accent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stepmom
- Informal American English; stepmother is neutral and more formal.
- stepmum
- Informal British English; stepmother is the standard term.
Opposites
Word family
- stepfather noun
- The man married to your mother but not your biological father.
- stepchild noun
- A child of your spouse from a previous relationship.
- stepdaughter noun
- A daughter of your spouse from a previous relationship.
- stepson noun
- A son of your spouse from a previous relationship.
- stepfamily noun
- A family formed when a parent remarries.
Commonly confused: stepmother or foster mother? stepmother or adoptive mother?
stepmother vs foster mother
A foster mother cares for a child temporarily, often with payment, but is not married to the child's parent. A stepmother is married to the child's father.
stepmother vs adoptive mother
An adoptive mother has legally adopted the child. A stepmother has not necessarily adopted the child.
Practice
My father remarried last year, so now I have a ______.
Choose one answer.
When your father remarries, his new wife is your stepmother. A foster mother is temporary and paid; an adoptive mother has legally adopted you; a mother-in-law is your spouse's mother.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stepmother”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.