stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchī(-ə)ld 
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
F. R. SmithExamples of stepchild in a Sentence
The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.
Recent Examples on the Web
The White House said the program would benefit approximately 500,000 noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens, as well as 50,000 stepchildren of U.S. citizens who are under the age of 21.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
Additionally, 50,000 non-citizen stepchildren with a U.S. citizen parent would also be eligible for this protection.
—Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 18 June 2024
The actor shared a picture of his fiancée cuddled up in bed with her son Zane, and stepchildren Noah, Bodhi, and Journey.
—Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024
The ‘red-headed stepchild’ strikes back Naturally, the response of an entrepreneur was to take on a project.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for stepchild 
Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
Additionally, 50,000 non-citizen stepchildren with a U.S. citizen parent would also be eligible for this protection.
—Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 18 June 2024
The actor shared a picture of his fiancée cuddled up in bed with her son Zane, and stepchildren Noah, Bodhi, and Journey.
—Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024
The ‘red-headed stepchild’ strikes back Naturally, the response of an entrepreneur was to take on a project.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for stepchild
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stepchild.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stepchild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepchild. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stepchild
noun
step·child
ˈstep-ˌchīld
: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner
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