husband

1 of 2

noun

hus·​band ˈhəz-bənd 

1

: a male partner in a marriage

her husband of forty years

2

British : the manager of another's property : steward

3

: a frugal manager

speaks his whole mind gaily, and is not the cautious husband of a part

—W. B. Yeats

husbandly adjective

husband

2 of 2

verb

husbanded; husbanding; husbands

transitive verb

1

a

: to manage prudently and economically

a country that has husbanded its resources well

b

: to use sparingly : conserve

must husband one's strength

2

archaic : to find a husband for : mate

husbander noun

Synonyms

Noun

• hubby
• man
• mister
• old man

Verb

• conserve

Examples of husband in a Sentence

Noun

Have you met her husband?

she and her husband just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary

Verb

The country has husbanded its resources well.

husband our natural resources so that our children and grandchildren may benefit from them

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lisa Rinna and husband Harry Hamlin arrived hand in hand, bubbling with excitement to see their 22-year-old daughter Amelia Gray (Hamlin) named as model of the year. —Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Apr. 2024

One of the rarest Lamborghinis made so far this century is being offered through SBX Cars, the global online-auction platform owned and operated by automotive influencer Alex Hirschi and her husband Nik. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English husbonde, from Old English hūsbonda master of a house, from Old Norse hūsbōndi, from hūs house + bōndi householder; akin to Old Norse būa to inhabit; akin to Old English būan to dwell — more at bower

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing husband

• husband and wife
• take a wife/husband

Kids Definition

husband

1 of 2 noun

hus·​band ˈhəz-bənd 

: a male partner in a marriage

husband

2 of 2 verb

: to manage carefully and economically : conserve

husbanded their resources

husbander noun

Etymology

Noun

Old English hūsbonda "master of a house," from early Norse hūsbondi, literally, "house owner" — related to house