bigamy

noun big·a·my \ ˈbi-gə-mē \

Updated on: 3 May 2018

Definition of bigamy

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

was accused of bigamy

—

bigamist

play \-mist\ noun

See bigamy defined for English-language learners

See bigamy defined for kids

Examples of bigamy in a Sentence

He was accused of bigamy.

Recent Examples of bigamy from the Web

Police charged Bobby Allen Robinson, 55, of Cornelius, with felony bigamy.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Lake Norman man charged with having two wives | Charlotte Observer," 25 Apr. 2018
The Mississippi Constitution specifies 10 crimes for which convictions remove voting rights, including murder, forgery and bigamy.

— Washington Post, "Lawsuit: Mississippi ‘harsh’ in denying ex-con voting rights," 27 Mar. 2018
Grenier now faces charges of bigamy, falsifying physical evidence and tampering with records, the AP said.

— crystal hill, miamiherald, "Convicted of child neglect, she hatched a plan. Now she faces a bigamy charge, too | Miami Herald," 21 Feb. 2018
Besides the bigamy charge, he was also slapped with forgery, unsworn falsification to authorities and firearms charges.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "He married his stepdaughter — without divorcing her mom first," 10 Jan. 2018
And nothing at all is said about the great embarrassment Luther caused his church by secretly condoning the bigamy of his most powerful protector, Landgrave Philip of Hesse.

— carlos eire, New York Times, "Slaying the Dragon of the Dark Ages," 18 Dec. 2017
In the end, Jane can only find happiness and marry Mr. Rochester once the stigma of bigamy is removed and Bertha Mason is dead.

— WSJ, "Five Best: Lily Tuck," 15 Sep. 2017
Cooing over the launch of Tabitha Simmons bridal, many a married guest conjectured bigamy if only to secure the heart-skipping satins, the blush mink slide, or the inky velvet Victorian-style bootie with grosgrain ribbons.

— Vogue, "Shoe city: Tabitha Simmons’s Stylish Set Step Into Her Moda Operandi Madison Presentation," 8 Sep. 2017
As part of the agreement, prosecutors dismissed two counts of violating bail bond conditions, one felony count of bigamy and a second offense of unauthorized practice of massage therapy, court records show.

— amelia arvesen, The Denver Post, "Longmont’s “topless barber” pleads guilty to misdemeanors in new cases," 24 May 2017

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