breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwi-nər 

plural breadwinners

1

: a member of a family whose wages supply the family's principal or only means of support

the main/primary/sole breadwinner in the family

… many more households have two breadwinners, making it unlikely that there will be someone home all afternoon to cook.

—Mark Bittman

2

: a means (such as a tool, craft, or activity) of livelihood : a way of earning income

Crop diversity kept the overall value of Montana agriculture strong even as wheat, the state agriculture's breadwinner, faltered.

—Tom Lutey

Catfish farming has become the breadwinner industry for many families in west Alabama …

—Robert Dewitt and Benita D. Newton

breadwinning

ˈbred-ˌwi-niŋ 

noun

Examples of breadwinner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jamil Rivers was the breadwinner for the family and worked all through her cancer treatment and chemotherapy. —Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Replacing income for a family that loses a breadwinner in the event of a premature death is critical to the family’s financial survival. —Lina Storm, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

The results of these studies underscore just how deeply entrenched the male breadwinner model remains. —Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025

After 14 years of being a stay-at-home mom, Sharon made the decision to transition into the breadwinner. —Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for breadwinner

• beginner
• dinner
• inner
• pinner
• sinner
• spinner
• thinner
• tinner
• winner

Kids Definition

breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwin-ər 

: a person whose wages provide support for his or her family