bigamy

1 of 2

noun (1)

big·​a·​my ˈbi-gə-mē 

law : the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another

was accused of bigamy

bigamist

ˈbi-gə-mist 

noun

bigamist

2 of 2

noun (2)

big·​a·​mist ˈbi-gə-mist 

plural -s

: one that practices bigamy

especially : one that has two wives or mates at the same time

bigamistic

¦bi-gə-¦mi-stik

adjective

Examples of bigamy in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He was accused of bigamy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Chen, who is currently being held on $100,000 bail in the Clark County Detention Center, has been charged with five felony counts of bigamy and two counts of intent to utter a fictitious bill/note/check, per FOX5. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026

Fox News, Daily Mail and Christian Post reported that Williams was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of state from Rockdale County in Conyers, Georgia, tied to a bigamy charge. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

Leslie Williams, 62, was taken into custody at the sprawling retirement center, The Villages, on an outstanding warrant out of Georgia tied to a bigamy charge, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

The state bigamy law won’t necessarily bar West Hollywood from registering relationships inside its two-mile-square borders. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English bigamie, from Medieval Latin bigamia, from Latin bi- + Late Latin -gamia -gamy

Noun (2)

bigamy + -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bigamy

• polygamy

Kids Definition

bigamy

noun

big·​a·​my ˈbig-ə-mē 

: the act of marrying one person while still legally married to another

bigamist

-məst 

noun

bigamous

-məs

adjective

bigamously adverb

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bigamie "bigamy," derived from Latin bi- "two" and Greek gamia "marriage"

Legal Definition

bigamy

noun

big·​a·​my ˈbi-gə-mē 

: the crime of marrying someone while still legally married to someone else compare polygamy

bigamist

-mist 

noun

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin bigamia, ultimately from Latin bi- two + Greek gamos marriage