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 of husband

Noun

• spouse
• partner
• hubby

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

Ramaswamy aired a late attack ad against Acton featuring her estranged mother, who backed her husband when Acton accused him of rape as a child. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Gómez Mont and her husband, Víctor Manuel Álvarez Puga, fled Mexico for Miami in 2021, according to multiple media reports, after a federal judge issued a warrant for their arrest on suspicion of embezzling funds from the Mexican government. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Verb

Yet Kyiv’s stockpile has dried up as the United States husbands an arsenal that has been significantly depleted by the Iran war. — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026

In contrast, colleges that husbanded big endowments from wealthy alumni could rely on income from these assets to finance much of their college operations; tuition has been less important and can be waived for high-achieving prospective students. — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026

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

• estranged 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