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

Per The Hindu and Times of India, Nagalakshmi was the sole breadwinner, and the couple frequently argued about personal finances. —Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

Ahmed was the sole breadwinner of his household and a hardworking man, his son Abdul Haque told Sky News in early March, just days after his father’s death. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 27 Apr. 2026

Our beloved and hardworking Greg continued his full-time breadwinner shifts that felt more like double full-time for the rest of the family. —Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026

Eligible renters need to make at or below 30% of the area median income, which translates to about $2,300 for individuals and $3,300 for the breadwinners in a family of four. —Conor Wight, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

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