Stepfather Meaning
/stˈɛˌpfɑðər/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe husband of one's biological mother after her initial marriage to or relationship with one's biological father.
nounThe husband of one's parent distinct from one's biological father or person with a similar relationship.
Sentence Examples
I hope my new stepfather sticks around longer than the last one.
Tom is Mary's stepfather.
Sami accused Farid of being abusive as a stepfather.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After my mother remarried in 2010, her new husband became my legal ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ has lived with the family for five years and has always been very supportive of his goals.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English stepfader, from Old English stēopfæder, from Proto-Germanic *steupafadēr (“stepfather”), equivalent to step- + father. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäiffoar (“stepfather”), Dutch stiefvader (“stepfather”), German Low German Steevvader (“stepfather”), German Stiefvater (“stepfather”), Swedish styvfar (“stepfather”), Icelandic stjúpfaðir (“stepfather”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"My stepfather loved me as much as he loved his own three sons. I knew how much he wanted to help me and how lacking in financial resources he was. Nothing could erase the image I gained of my real father that day: a carefree, well-to-do man who didn't really give a damn about the hopes and dreams of his firstborn son."
— 1980, Gerald Ford, “Boyhood—and Beyond”, in A Time to Heal, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, page 47:
"In suboptimal cases the gynaecologist takes sperm from anonymous donors. In this case the husband can only be stepfather of the child."
— 2015, Werner A. Mueller, Monika Hassel, Maura Grealy, Development and Reproduction in Humans and Animal Model Species, Springer, →ISBN, page 188, column 2:
"Telegony or Inheritance from the Stepfather
The earliest reference to telegony ( which has no connection with the son of Odysseus ) is supposed to be in 1665 but the classical case is that described in the Philosophical Transactions of[…]"
— 1953, Cyril Dean Darlington, The Facts of Life, page 433:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After my mother remarried in 2010, her new husband became my legal ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ has lived with the family for five years and has always been very supportive of his goals.