US /ˈstɛpˌfɑːðɝ/
noun Freq #10592

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    The man who is married to your mother but is not your biological father.

    My stepfather has looked after me since I was five.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
co-fatherfather-in-lawstepdad
Word family
Forms stepfathers
Derived forms ex-stepfatherstepfatherhoodstepfatherly
Related forms stepauntstepbrotherstepchildstepdaughterstepfamilystepfather-in-lawstepmotherstepnephewstepniecestepsisterstepsonstepuncle

Etymology

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”).

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Topics

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