stepfamilynoun [ C ]
also step-family /ˈstepˌfæm.əl.i//ˈstepˌfæm.əl.i/a family that is formed by two people and the child or children of one or both of them from a previous relationship:
With one in three marriages ending in divorce, there are around 650,000 stepfamilies in Britain.
More examples
- Some will remain lone parents; many will remarry after a period of cohabitation and become a step-family .
- Parents and step-parents are increasingly writing about step-family life in an attempt both to warn parents and inform practitioners.
- "When I got a new stepfamily," she notes, "suddenly my home life was more chaotic than my work life."
- They say it takes four to seven years before you bond as a stepfamily and identify your own roles and how you fit in.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Family: non-blood relations
- auntie
- brother-in-law
- co-brother
- co-sister
- daughter-in-law
- godchild
- goddaughter
- godfather
- godmother
- godparent
- mother-in-law
- sister-in-law
- son-in-law
- step
- stepbrother
- stepdaughter
- stepfather
- stepmother
- stepmum
- stepparent
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