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
W. B. Yeats
husbandly
adjective
husbanded; husbanding; husbands
1
a
: 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
husbander
noun
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
Julius Miller
follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Meanwhile, Vladimir is a slyly subversive 2022 novel about academia in which a once beautiful English professor, referred to only as M, has begun to feel the effects of aging in her late fifties, while her husband is just reaching his prime.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for husband
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Noun
At the top of the bill are Yo La Tengo and Nels Cline, guitarist for Wilco and Honda’s husband.
—Julius Miller
follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Meanwhile, Vladimir is a slyly subversive 2022 novel about academia in which a once beautiful English professor, referred to only as M, has begun to feel the effects of aging in her late fifties, while her husband is just reaching his prime.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
Verb
The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for husband
Cite this Entry
“Husband.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/husband. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
husband
1 of 2 noun
hus·band
ˈhəz-bənd 
: a male partner in a marriage
husband
2 of 2 verb
: to manage carefully and economically : conserve
husbanded their resources
husbander
noun
Etymology
Noun
Old English hūsbonda "master of a house," from early Norse hūsbondi, literally, "house owner" — related to house
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