Step-Parent: Definition, Role & Examples

Meaning 1：parent by remarriage (step-parent)

step-parent 🔊

/ˈstɛpˌpɛrənt/

A step-parent is the new husband or wife of your biological parent, who becomes your parent after the marriage.

Step-parent and child baking together in a sunny kitchen

parent by remarriage 🔊

➕

/ˈpɛrənt baɪ riːˈmærɪdʒ/

A step-parent is the spouse of one's biological parent, who becomes a parental figure through marriage, not through birth or adoption.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

The prefix 'step-' comes from Old English 'steop-' meaning 'orphaned' or 'after remarriage', combined with 'parent'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine taking a 'step' into a new family and gaining a second parent who fills a similar role.

📖 Example

My step-parent always helps me with my homework, just like my real parent would. 🔊 My step-parent always helps me with my homework, just like my real parent would.

🔗 Collocations

become a step-parent – To assume the role of a parent through marriage to a child's biological parent.

loving step-parent – A step-parent who shows affection and care toward their stepchild.

step-parent adoption – The legal process where a step-parent adopts their spouse's child as their own.

🔄 Synonyms

stepparent (n.) – A parent by marriage, often used interchangeably with step-parent.

foster parent (n.) – A person who acts as a parent and raises a child not biologically their own, often through a legal system.

adoptive parent (n.) – A person who legally becomes a child's parent through adoption.

🚫 Antonyms

biological parent (n.) – A parent who is genetically related to the child.

🌱 Derivatives

step-parenting (n.) – The act or process of being a step-parent.

📖 Cultural Story

The prefix 'step-' originally meant 'bereaved' or 'orphaned' in Old English, later applied to family relationships formed through remarriage, highlighting historical family dynamics.