husband

noun hus·band \ ˈhəz-bənd \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of husband

1 : a male partner in a marriage

her husband of forty years

2 British : the manager of another's property : steward

3 : a frugal manager

speaks his whole mind gaily, and is not the cautious husband of a part
—W. B. Yeats

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husbandly

adjective

See husband defined for English-language learners

See husband defined for kids

Examples of husband in a Sentence

Have you met her husband?
she and her husband just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary

Recent Examples of husband from the Web

Just one week earlier, Wallace and husband Jim had celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary and the baptism of great-grandson Rory at La Cañada Presbyterian Church before attending a family celebration at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "Well-known chamber ambassador Jeanne Wallace remembered for kindness, willingness to help," 10 May 2018
She will also be lovingly remembered by her sister Kathy Rucci and her husband Ed of Westerly, RI.

— courant.com, "Barbara Ann Dagon," 10 May 2018
But a Florida jury in March blamed that same make and model van for a woman’s death, granting her four children and husband nearly $20 million in damages.

— justin price, The Courier-Journal, "Churches put faith in old vans that expose passengers to deadly risk," 10 May 2018
Manuela Cuevas makes ends meet thanks to her retired husband’s odd jobs and her live-in son-in-law’s income as a manager at a security firm.

— The Economist, "A warning on poverty from Peru," 10 May 2018
The family takes comfort in the fact that Bohlander's husband, a former University of Arizona track athlete, often coaches the children's teams.

— alexis egeland, azcentral, "Are your child's coaches background checked? Not always," 10 May 2018
The latest combo from Hope Nicholls and husband Aaron Pitkin — fixtures here since the ’80s (Fetchin’ Bones, Sugarsmack, Snagglepuss) — opens a new season of Friday Nights at Camp North End with the release of its second album.

— courtney devores, charlotteobserver, "Hot Concerts," 9 May 2018
The licensing barriers sometimes force spouses to choose between advancing their own careers and moving from place to place with their service member husband or wife.

— betsy klein, CNN, "Trump signs executive order to make it easier for military spouses to get jobs," 9 May 2018
Police say Robles molested the husband before walking on the woman's stomach and back, causing her to miscarry.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Cops: "Spiritual healer" accused of sex abuse walked on pregnant woman's stomach," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'husband.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of husband

Middle English husbonde, from Old English hūsbonda master of a house, from Old Norse hūsbōndi, from hūs house + bōndi householder; akin to Old Norse būa to inhabit; akin to Old English būan to dwell — more at bower

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year