foster parent
noun
plural foster parents
1
: a person temporarily serving as a parent for a child who has lost or been removed from a parent's care and who is not the person's own biological child
specifically, US
: such a person who has been trained and approved by a government or social-service agency
Many foster parents … continue to act selflessly as important way stations for at-risk kids while their biological parents get their lives together. —
Timothy Roche
Timothy Roche Foster parents adopt children in Ventura County [California] more often than relatives do. —Stephanie Hoops
Stephanie Hoops 2
a
: a person temporarily caring for an animal (such as one that is injured or awaiting adoption)
The 36-year-old Owosso [Michigan] native became a foster parent to dogs through the shelter five years ago.—Anamaria Dickerson
Anamaria Dickerson
b
: an animal caring for an unrelated offspring
Cowbirds deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds, and unknowing foster parents raise baby cowbirds along with their own young.—The Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News
The Tuscaloosa (Alabama) NewsTom hoped the little eaglet could be placed into an active nest, adopted and raised by wild foster parents, and could ultimately fly free.—Massachusetts Wildlife
Massachusetts WildlifeExamples of foster parent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Luckily, if there are any questions a foster parent may have, Noga is just a phone call away to help out with anything.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Her faith was very important to her and her kind heart sparked dreams of becoming a paramedic and a foster parent in the future.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
The painful accident landed the mother, who is also a foster parent, in her local hospital in Concord, North Carolina in December, Fox 4 Dallas reported.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024
Patricia McCollum was a lauded foster parent who took over 70 children into her home over more than two decades.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foster parent
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Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Her faith was very important to her and her kind heart sparked dreams of becoming a paramedic and a foster parent in the future.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
The painful accident landed the mother, who is also a foster parent, in her local hospital in Concord, North Carolina in December, Fox 4 Dallas reported.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024
Patricia McCollum was a lauded foster parent who took over 70 children into her home over more than two decades.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for foster parent
Cite this Entry
“Foster parent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foster%20parent. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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