Standard Lemma guide

stepparent

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One's parent's spouse who is not one's biological parent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: stepchild

2

noun

Meaning 2

the spouse of your parent by a subsequent marriage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: parent

Narrower terms: stepfather, stepmother

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)tew- Proto-Germanic *steupa- Proto-West Germanic *steupa- Old English stēop- Middle English step- English step- English parent English stepparent From step- + parent.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дове́ден роди́тел (dovéden rodítel) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Dutch: stiefouder — stepfather or stepmother
  • Finnish: vanhempipuoli — stepfather or stepmother
  • Georgian: მშობელნაცვალი (mšobelnacvali) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Georgian: მამინაცვალი (maminacvali) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Georgian: დედინაცვალი (dedinacvali) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Georgian: არაღვიძლი მშობელი (araɣviʒli mšobeli) — stepfather or stepmother
  • German: Stiefvater — stepfather or stepmother
  • German: Stiefmutter — stepfather or stepmother
  • Greek: θετός γονέας (thetós gonéas) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Hungarian: mostohaszülő — stepfather or stepmother
  • Hungarian: nevelőszülő — stepfather or stepmother
  • Ido: stif-genitoro — stepfather or stepmother
  • Indonesian: orang tua tiri — stepfather or stepmother
  • Latvian: audžu vecāki — stepfather or stepmother
  • Māori: matakēkē — stepfather or stepmother
  • Māori: matuakēkē — stepfather or stepmother
  • Romanian: părinte vitreg (tată sau mamă) — stepfather or stepmother
  • Romanian: tată vitreg — stepfather or stepmother
  • Romanian: mamă vitregă — stepfather or stepmother
  • Swedish: styvförälder — stepfather or stepmother
  • Volapük: lupal — stepfather or stepmother
  • Volapük: hilupal — stepfather or stepmother
  • Volapük: jilupal — stepfather or stepmother