stepchild

noun

step·​child ˈstep-ˌchī(-ə)ld How to pronounce stepchild (audio)
1
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
2
: one that fails to receive proper care or attention
… is no longer a stepchild in the family of nations.—F. R. Smith

Examples of stepchild in a Sentence

The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
She is survived by her husband and M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell and her two stepchildren. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026 She is survived by her husband, M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell, and stepchildren. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 Publishing houses have traditionally seen the novella as an outsider, a stepchild to the real book—the novel. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Fabares is survived by Mike Farrell, her husband of over 40 years, and two stepchildren, Erin and Michael Farrell. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stepchild

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of stepchild was before the 12th century

Rhymes for stepchild

See All Rhymes for stepchild

Browse Nearby Words

step change
stepchild
step chuck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stepchild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepchild. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

stepchild

noun
step·​child ˈstep-ˌchīld How to pronounce stepchild (audio)
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All