stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchī(-ə)ld 
1
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
2
: one that fails to receive proper care or attention
is no longer a stepchild in the family of nations—
F. R. Smith
F. R. SmithExamples of stepchild in a Sentence
The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.
Recent Examples on the Web
Leave the discipline to the biological parent Being there for your stepchild means building a healthy relationship with them.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
Emily Tavis, left; her stepchildren Kyndall Roberts and Levi Gooch; her partner, Jacob Gooch; and his son, Jacob Gooch Jr., celebrate at the Kansas City Chiefs' rally Wednesday.
—Daniella Silva, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
The actresses who played her stepchildren, including Laurie Walters, Lani O’Grady and Dianne Kay, were Buckley’s age or just a few years younger.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Deprived of both her babies and traded off like an old mule to a tough, inflexible farmer called Mister (Colman Domingo, looming like the Big Bad Wolf over his household), Celie has Cinderella’s burden in reverse, as she’s obliged to care for a household of wicked stepchildren.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Dec. 2023
From all indications, Jim, who died of cancer, was an incredibly rotten human being, something to which his entire family, which includes multiple ex-wives and adult children and stepchildren, are quite willing to concede.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024
Casstevens is survived by his wife, Susie, three children, four stepchildren, two grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren, and his brother Mark.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
He is survived by his children Chloe and Mason Moll, ex-wife Susan Moll, and stepchildren Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023
Among Cash’s children and stepchildren — Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, Tara, John Carter, Carlene and Rosie — all have had creative careers as musicians, actors and writers.
—Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
Maria Godoy, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
Emily Tavis, left; her stepchildren Kyndall Roberts and Levi Gooch; her partner, Jacob Gooch; and his son, Jacob Gooch Jr., celebrate at the Kansas City Chiefs' rally Wednesday.
—Daniella Silva, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
The actresses who played her stepchildren, including Laurie Walters, Lani O’Grady and Dianne Kay, were Buckley’s age or just a few years younger.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Deprived of both her babies and traded off like an old mule to a tough, inflexible farmer called Mister (Colman Domingo, looming like the Big Bad Wolf over his household), Celie has Cinderella’s burden in reverse, as she’s obliged to care for a household of wicked stepchildren.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Dec. 2023
From all indications, Jim, who died of cancer, was an incredibly rotten human being, something to which his entire family, which includes multiple ex-wives and adult children and stepchildren, are quite willing to concede.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024
Casstevens is survived by his wife, Susie, three children, four stepchildren, two grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren, and his brother Mark.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
He is survived by his children Chloe and Mason Moll, ex-wife Susan Moll, and stepchildren Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023
Among Cash’s children and stepchildren — Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, Tara, John Carter, Carlene and Rosie — all have had creative careers as musicians, actors and writers.
—Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stepchild.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stepchild
Cite this Entry
“Stepchild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepchild. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchīld
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
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