What does stepbrother mean?
A stepbrother is a person related to someone through a parent's remarriage rather than through shared biological descent. In the most familiar sense, he is the son of a parent's spouse other than that parent; a woman in the corresponding relationship is a stepsister, while stepsibling is a gender-neutral term. The word can also describe the husband of one's mother or the wife of one's father. A stepbrother need not live in the same household, and the relationship may be affectionate, neutral, or tense, depending on the family. Because the connection is created by marriage, it differs importantly from a half-brother, who shares one biological parent. Stepbrother is an ordinary family term used in both British and American English, though formal documents may rely on more precise descriptions. Its compact form illustrates how compound kinship nouns make complicated family relationships easy to name.
nounThe son of one's parent's spouse other than one's biological parent; also, a man who is married to one's mother or a woman who is married to one's father.
- The son of one's parent's spouse other than one's biological parent.
- The husband of one's mother or the wife of one's father.
"At the family reunion, I sat beside my stepbrother, who had known my mother for years before marrying her."
"At the family reunion, I sat beside my stepbrother, who had known my mother for years before marrying her."
"Her stepbrother introduced her to his colleagues."
The standard plural is formed by adding -s to the entire compound word.
"The two stepbrothers grew up in different towns but remained close."
A stepbrother is family by marriage, not necessarily by blood—and may never have met your parent before they married.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of stepbrother
Stepbrother is a compound formed from step-, a prefix used in English kinship terms to indicate a relationship arising through remarriage, and brother. Step- appears in Middle English compound words such as stepmother and stepchild. Its deeper history is Germanic, reflected in forms such as Dutch stief and German Stief-, both used in compounds for family relationships created by remarriage.
Related word forms
How stepbrother is actually used
This is a neutral, everyday family term in British and American English. It specifically identifies a male relative, while stepsibling is a gender-neutral alternative when the relative's gender is irrelevant. The relationship itself may be close, distant, affectionate, or strained.
Easily confused with stepbrother
A stepbrother is related through a parent's remarriage and need not share any biological parent with the other person, whereas a half-brother shares one biological parent.