foster home

noun

plural foster homes

: a home or homelike setting where a person or animal is placed for temporary care: such as

a

: a home in which a child receives care from a foster parent

The child, her adopted parents later learned, had been abandoned by her single mother and sent through a series of foster homes …

—Deborah Bloom

Treehouse is a planned intergenerational community, created in the hope that a close-knit support network can prevent children from bouncing from one foster home to another and give them tools to succeed.

—Pam Belluck

b

: a household or similar setting providing temporary care to an animal (such as one that is injured or awaiting adoption)

She had provided a foster home to more than a dozen of the program's birds before and had found the work highly rewarding.

—Dugan Arnett

The cat project currently has 150 cats in foster homes, aside from the many cats in the shelter itself.

—Patricia Camerota

Examples of foster home in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All of the puppies are now out of the animal hospital and residing in foster homes, where they are focused on safely putting on weight and building up strength. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

As he was being transferred from one foster home to another, this bag, secured by a red tie at the top, held all of his life’s belongings. —Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024

His father’s girlfriend’s sister wanted him out, and because no foster homes were available, the boy was likely to be placed in a group home and possibly in a different school district, too. —Deborah Sontag, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Ariel's foster home Soon after Ariel was welcomed to her foster home, the rescue posted an update for its followers. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024

Some had been orphaned or were placed in foster homes when their birth parents became unable to care for them. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024

Cline, a Texas native, bounced around foster homes as a child. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024

The facility is also looking for foster home volunteers, and supplies are provided for pet fostering. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2024

Child Crisis Arizona also coordinates foster home placements, hosts parenting workshops, provides early education and works to prevent child abuse. —Alexis Waiss, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

foster home

noun

: a household in which an orphaned, neglected, or delinquent child is placed for care

Legal Definition

foster home

noun

: a household in which care is provided to a child who has been orphaned or removed from the home of his or her natural parents (as for reasons of abuse, neglect, or delinquency)