breadwinner

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

breadwinning

2 of 2

noun (2)

bread·​win·​ning ˈbred-ˌwi-niŋ 

: the gaining of a livelihood

Examples of breadwinner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This disparity persists even when both partners work full-time or when women earn more as primary breadwinners. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

When their main breadwinner is detained, the immigrant households struggle to stay afloat. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

In the typical married or cohabiting straight couple, women still do much more of the domestic labor—even when the woman is the breadwinner. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026

Teresita’s elder stepsister became the family’s chief breadwinner. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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