: a relative by marriage

Examples of in-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Republican National Committee is now helmed by three close allies, including his daughter in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. Hadriana Lowenkron, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2024 His Kevin was a raconteur and barman at his best friend Johnny Ryan's (Bernie Barrow) bar, while also acting as a perpetual thorn in the side to his in-law Delia (Ilene Kristen). Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Afterward, Jihan spent her first night in her new home—a room at her in-laws’. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Perspective Carolyn Hax: Child care from the in-laws was ‘free,’ except for eternity in... Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Chae-ran claimed her husband and in-laws refused to pay for the documents, leaving her feeling exposed and fearful of detection by Chinese authorities. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The homeowner called out her relatives' behavior in a post shared to Reddit on Wednesday A homeowner is seeking advice after her in-laws won’t stop snooping through her home. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Shi’s in-laws, David and Vicki Lin, rushed to the hospital to tend to Amy, and were still there when their children were slain. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The way to be a good in-law is the same way to be a good person: to be patient, welcoming, friendly, and kind. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in-law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

mother-in-law, etc.

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of in-law was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near in-law

Cite this Entry

“In-law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in-law. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

in-law

noun
ˈin-ˌlȯ
: a relative by marriage

More from Merriam-Webster on in-law

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