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

The coalition had also raised money to help families with things like rent, supplies and childcare when a family’s principal breadwinner is taken into custody. —Ashley Killough, CNN Money, 17 June 2025

Nearly half of moms are their family’s breadwinner. —Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

Keke Palmer has been her family’s primary breadwinner for more than 20 years. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 22 May 2025

During the same time period, the number of women who are the primary or sole breadwinners more than tripled, increasing from 5 percent to 16 percent. —Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 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