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

Jason has previously spoken about how the two faced pressure after becoming their family's breadwinners. —Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Coronado’s mother left her job to care for her full time, leaving her dad, Jovani Villanueva, as the sole breadwinner for the family. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025

Over the following years, Perna was able to dedicate more time to the channel and lean on his wife, Jess Filipas, as the primary breadwinner. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025

Consider how men, for instance, are encouraged to be the breadwinners and establish financial stability before getting married. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 27 Nov. 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