stepfather
- 01 A2 Elementary
the man who is married to your mother or parent, but who is not your biological father.
a male parent by marriage; the husband of one's mother or parent who is not one's biological father.
Simple“After his mother remarried, his stepfather moved into their house and helped raise him.”
In context“Although they were not related by blood, he maintained a close bond with his stepfather, who had supported him since early childhood.”
UsageThe term is a countable noun and is often used to distinguish from a biological father.
Teacher's tipLearners should note that 'stepfather' refers to the legal or social relationship through marriage, whereas 'foster father' or 'adoptive father' refers to different legal arrangements.
Antonyms
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.