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Definition of "father-in-law" [fa•ther-in-law]

  • The father of one's husband or wife. (noun)
  • Archaic A stepfather. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "father-in-law" in a sentence
  • "V. -- Your own fortune, father-in-law (in certain kinds of society they say _papa father-in-law_) yielding an income of twenty thousand, and which will soon be increased by an inheritance."
  • "Bethenny calls her father-in-law an idiot on Thanksgiving because she didn't notice the turkey wasn't cooking then she goes to therapy and blames the tantrum on her childhood, I point out."
  • "But out of the flood of unfamiliar language swirling around her, her ears picked up two familiar words: the phrase her father-in-law had taught her, meaning “wife of Chavez.”"