alimony

noun al·i·mo·ny \ ˈa-lə-ˌmō-nē \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

Definition of alimony

plural alimonies

1 :an allowance made to one spouse by the other for support pending or after legal separation or divorce

2 :the means of living :maintenance

See alimony defined for English-language learners

See alimony defined for kids

Recent Examples of alimony from the Web

The method of divorce was available only to men, who in many cases ousted their wives from their homes without alimony or other financial support.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "India’s high court strikes down ‘instant divorce’ for Muslims," 22 Aug. 2017
In 1985, the Supreme Court ordered the husband of a 62-year-old divorced Muslim woman to pay her alimony of about $15 a month.

— jeffrey gettleman and suhasini raj, New York Times, "India’s Supreme Court Strikes Down ‘Instant Divorce’ for Muslims," 22 Aug. 2017
In 1985, the Supreme Court ordered the husband of a 62-year-old divorced Muslim woman to pay her alimony of about $15 a month.

— jeffrey gettleman and suhasini raj, New York Times, "India’s Supreme Court Strikes Down ‘Instant Divorce’ for Muslims," 22 Aug. 2017
The final judgment shows neither Krupa nor Zago, who owns the nightclub Mynt Ultralounge, asked for alimony.

— by jose lambiet, miamiherald, "The South Beach-Hollywood divorce that took only 15 minutes to make final," 17 Aug. 2017
Nicks reports that their mother, who’d grown up in Wales and married early, didn’t know how to write a check, let alone pay bills or seek alimony.

— nathan heller, Vogue, "Chelsea Manning Changed the Course of History. Now She’s Focusing on Herself," 10 Aug. 2017
A few days later during the trial for Wein’s divorce from Philip Howland, the owner of a Fort Lauderdale car restoration business, Howland’s camp allegedly tried to have the prescription history admitted as evidence in an argument over alimony.

— by jose lambiet, miamiherald, "Dentist snooped in jilted wife’s prescription records, lawsuit alleges," 22 June 2017
In 1985, the Supreme Court ordered the husband of a 62-year-old divorced Muslim woman to pay her alimony of about $15 a month.

— geeta anand, New York Times, "Muslim Women in India Challenge ‘Instant Divorce’ Law," 28 May 2017
The SEC claims Watkins defrauded professional athletes and other investors of millions of dollars to cover personal expenses including alimony, back taxes and credit card bills.

— david voreacos, Bloomberg.com, "Ex-Jet Bryan Thomas Settles Investment Suit," 23 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alimony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of alimony

Latin alimonia sustenance, from alere

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1613

See Words from the same year

Financial Definition of ALIMONY

alimony

noun

What It Is

Alimony is a series of payments made to an ex-spouse or separated spouse according to a divorce decree or separation agreement.

How It Works

Also known as "spousal support," the idea behind alimony is to provide a spouse with lower income or lower income potential with financial support. It is not the same as child support.

In general, a spouse must have been financially dependent on the other spouse for most of the marriage to receive alimony. The calculations and standard amounts vary by state, but each party's ability to earn money, the length of the marriage, the conduct of the parties, and health and age all affect the amount.

Alimony payments are usually made monthly. For tax purposes, noncash payments and voluntary extra payments do not count as alimony. However, payments to a third party on behalf of the ex- or separated spouse sometimes qualify as alimony (medical expenses, housing costs, tuition, etc.), however.

Why It Matters

From a financial perspective, alimony matters because it has significant tax consequences for both the payer and the receiver. Most notably, alimony is tax-deductible for the payer and taxable for the payee. Because of this tax deduction (and the resulting temptation to mask all payments to an ex as alimony), the IRS applies two tests to ensure that the payments are not really child support or property settlement payments (which are not deductible). For this reason, alimony payments should be explicitly described in the divorce decree or separation agreement, and they must be labeled as alimony. Otherwise, the IRS may tax child support as alimony.

Also, alimony payments to an ex- or separated spouse typically only count as alimony for tax purposes in years when the parties did not file a joint tax return or live in the same dwelling. If alimony payments decrease or terminate during the first three years, filers may be able to recapture the taxes paid (and deductions claimed) under the IRS's recapture rule. In any case, both the alimony payer and alimony payee must file an IRS Form 1040 rather than a 1040A or 1040EZ if alimony is involved.

Source: Investing Answers

ALIMONY Defined for English Language Learners

alimony

noun

Definition of alimony for English Language Learners

: money that a court orders someone to pay regularly to a former wife or husband after a divorce

ALIMONY Defined for Kids

alimony

noun al·i·mo·ny \ ˈa-lə-ˌmō-nē \

Definition of alimony for Students

:money for living expenses paid regularly by one spouse to another after their legal separation or divorce

Law Dictionary

alimony

noun al·i·mo·ny \ ˈa-lə-ˌmō-nē \

legal Definition of alimony

1 :an allowance made to one spouse by the other for support pending or after legal separation or divorce — compare child support

— alimony in gross

:lump sum alimony in this entry

— alimony pendente lite \-pen-ˈden-tē-ˈlī-ˌtē, -pen-ˈden-tā-ˈlē-tā\

:alimony granted pending a suit for divorce or separation that includes a reasonable allowance for the prosecution of the suit — called also temporary alimony

— lump sum alimony

:alimony awarded after divorce that is a specific vested amount not subject to change — called also alimony in gross

— permanent alimony

:alimony awarded after divorce which consists of payments at regular intervals that may change in amount or terminate (as upon the payee's remarriage)

— temporary alimony

:alimony pendente lite in this entry

2 :means of living, support, or maintenance