n · neutral
stepmother
UK/ˈstɛpmʌðə(r)/US/ˈstɛpˌmʌðər/STEP·mo·ther
A woman who is married to one's father after the divorce or death of one's mother; a father's new wife.
Examples
“His stepmother encouraged him to study harder after his father remarried.”
“Relationships with a stepmother can be complicated at first.”
“She surprised her stepmother with a home-cooked meal.”
Band 8 sentence
“Blended families often require time and honest communication for a stepmother and stepchildren to build trust.”
Collocations
- strict stepmother
- get on with your stepmother
Word family
Common mistakes
write 'step mother' as two separate words→write 'stepmother' as one word
confuse 'stepmother' with 'mother-in-law'→use 'stepmother' for father's new wife; 'mother-in-law' for spouse's mother
Say it for a higher band
5step mum→6mother-in-law→7+stepmother
Synonyms
mother-in-law
Easily confused
mother-in-law
“My mother-in-law baked a cake for our anniversary.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Family & Relationships
Learn it with its set