stepmother

Everyday

The woman who is married to (or the partner of) your father but is not your birth mother. tree →

In the lessons

In family lessons, stepmothers are part of stepfamilies or blended families, formed when a parent remarries after a divorce or a death. Many stepmothers are loving and kind. In fairy tales such as «Cinderella», «Snow White» and «Hansel and Gretel», the «wicked stepmother» is a stock villain — a story pattern, not the truth about real stepmothers.

Examples

• My stepmother helps me with my homework. tree →
• Dad married my stepmother when I was six. tree →
• Cinderella's stepmother made her do all the chores. tree →
• I call my stepmother by her first name. tree →
• My stepmother and my mum both came to the school play. tree →
• Fairy tales often have a wicked stepmother, but mine is lovely. tree →
• Then her stepmother came back too. tree →

Note

Countable; one word. Related: stepfather, stepparent, stepbrother, stepsister, stepchild, stepdaughter, stepson. A «half-sister» shares one parent with you; a «stepsister» shares no parent. Short informal forms: «stepmum» (UK), «stepmom» (USA).