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
Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
All of it—having children because her husband wanted them, putting her career on hold to tend pear trees in a midwestern suburb—might come across as out of character for Smith, who spent her formative years subverting traditional gender roles.
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Many others shared tributes after learning of Burrell’s death, including Rachael Ray, who was a bridesmaid in Burrell’s October 2021 wedding to husband Stuart Claxton.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for husband
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Jessica Biel dressed as her husband, Justin Timberlake, while her pals appeared as the other members of *NSYNC for Halloween 2019.
—Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
All of it—having children because her husband wanted them, putting her career on hold to tend pear trees in a midwestern suburb—might come across as out of character for Smith, who spent her formative years subverting traditional gender roles.
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Lopez laughed off the moment, before giving her ex-husband his props.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Many others shared tributes after learning of Burrell’s death, including Rachael Ray, who was a bridesmaid in Burrell’s October 2021 wedding to husband Stuart Claxton.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for husband
Cite this Entry
“Husband.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/husband. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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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