husband

noun

hus·band | \ ˈhəz-bənd

Definition of husband

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

husband

verb

husbanded; husbanding; husbands

Definition of husband (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to manage prudently and economically a country that has husbanded its resources well

b : to use sparingly : conserve must husband one's strength

2 archaic : to find a husband for : mate

Other Words from husband Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about husband

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Synonyms & Antonyms for husband

Synonyms: Noun

hubby, man, mister, old man

Synonyms: Verb

conserve

Antonyms: Verb

blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, squander, throw away, waste

Examples of husband in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

The country has husbanded its resources well. husband our natural resources so that our children and grandchildren may benefit from them

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

On Facebook Friday afternoon, Bell livestreamed the story of her husband spotting the snake on the roof of a next-door neighbor’s home. — Hal Boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "WKMG anchor spots snake, gets results," 13 July 2018 But the rare triumph for human rights in China was short-lived: Her brother was forced to stay behind, ensuring Liu Xia stayed silent on the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death Friday. — Washington Post, "Nobel widow’s release is short-lived human rights triumph," 13 July 2018 In Genesis 30, the barren Rachel begs her husband, the patriarch Jacob, for a child. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "What two fictional Gileads can teach us about America in 2018," 12 July 2018 Elizabeth had met future husband Ronen Seri a few years after moving to NYC to pursue acting and opera-singing dreams. — Colleen Leahey Mckeegan, Marie Claire, "The Business of Feeling Good," 11 July 2018 Berlin has been pushing China to let Liu leave the country following the death of her husband. — Deutsche Welle, USA TODAY, "Liu Xia, wife of late jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, leaves China," 10 July 2018 Edith met her future husband, Walter McAllister Jr., at Thomas Jefferson High School in 1933. — Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, San Antonio Express-News, "Personal side of late philanthropist celebrated," 9 July 2018 Then one of my husband’s relatives showed up for an unplanned visit. — Heather Havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m a Single Mom and My Friends Walk All Over Me’," 4 July 2018 The docu-series covers the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson and the subsequent murder trial of her husband, Michael. — Andrea Valdez, WIRED, "Top Stories in June 2018: An Alternate Theory About 'The Staircase'," 30 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

As this novel pushes forward, however, Gessen’s patience, his ability to husband his resources, begins to pay off. — New York Times, "Struggling to Love, Work and Do the Right Thing in Putin’s Russia," 9 July 2018 Most farmers drew their water from canals extending from the Washakie Reservoir, which was usually filled by Memorial Day and carefully husbanded until August, when irrigation needs became strong. — John Fialka, Scientific American, "A Wyoming Reservation Shows the New Face of Drought," 6 June 2018 Although desires may be infinite, the means available are not, and good commanders set priorities, build alliances and husband their resources. — John Nagl, WSJ, "‘On Grand Strategy’ Review: The War Against Decline and Fall," 16 Apr. 2018 His favorite example is an oyster-husbanding pilot project on a barge off of downtown. — Jeanette Steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New Port of San Diego chairman is a 43-year-old lawyer," 9 Jan. 2018 After Pearl Harbor, Chiang Kai-shek realized that his fate depended on the outcome of the new war between Japan and the U.S., and tried to husband his remaining forces. — David Kaiser, Time, "The War That Started 80 Years Ago Wouldn't Happen Today. We Can Still Learn From It," 7 July 2017 Kenya Moore has finally shared photos from her secret wedding to husband Marc! — Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "RHOA's Kenya Moore Shares Photos From St. Lucia Wedding to Husband Marc," 20 June 2017 The rigged bidding process allowed GDMA to inflate prices for its husbanding services supplying items such as security, food and trash removal to visiting Navy ships at various ports. — Kristina Davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Singapore executives plead guilty in 'Fat Leonard' Navy scandal," 9 May 2017

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.

History and Etymology for husband

Noun

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

Verb

see husband entry 1

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