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

Vanessa Galindo Blas, 32, leaned over the brown metal coffin of her common-law husband, Erick Hernandez Enriquez, 29, who had dreamed of becoming a famous deejay. — Washington Post, "Families begin burying the 28 victims of Mexico bar fire," 31 Aug. 2019 At one time, Marchant and her husband, Dr. Roger Marchant, had planned to live in his native country of England. — Roxanne Washington, cleveland.com, "Cool Spaces: Cozy ‘castle’ is among eight stops on Heights Heritage Home & Garden Tour Sept. 15," 30 Aug. 2019 Their journey capped a summer-long internship at Grand Circle Corp., a global travel company owned by Lewis and her husband, Alan, that is based in the Seaport. — Brian Macquarrie, BostonGlobe.com, "At Boston summer internship, students build confidence for transition to college," 30 Aug. 2019 She was predeceased by her husband, Albert Walter Simmons, retired major in the USMC (helicopter and bomber pilot in WWII, Korean and the Vietnam Wars), and brothers Leo, Ed, Don, John, Art and Stan Kucinskas. — courant.com, "Florence M. Simmons," 30 Aug. 2019 Rednour’s late husband, John, was a longtime Du Quoin mayor. — Jamie Munks, chicagotribune.com, "‘Perhaps no fair has as rich a history as the Du Quoin State Fair’: Inside Illinois’ other statewide annual summer celebration," 30 Aug. 2019 Her ex-husband, the writer Romain Gary, blamed the FBI for her death, claiming that the agency’s investigations caused permanent and escalating emotional damage. — Time, "Thailand: Kingdom of Opportunity," 30 Aug. 2019 Meyer’s husband designed and built the current space, just off the Yellow Trail. — Samantha Davenport, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Umiak,’ ‘quesa-deer-a’ and fresh oysters: How Alaskans put their own spin on state fair food," 29 Aug. 2019 Both her daughters were expected to perform in the Aug. 22-25 San Diego Circus Festival, where undoubtedly Kapelczak’s husband, Joe, would be watching from the crowd as one of their biggest fans. — Ramona Sentinel, "Lora Kapelczak flies high as an aerial acrobat artist," 29 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Married now for 8 years to husband Jay Tucker, Nash is living in wedded bliss. — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, "Niecy Nash’s Advice For A Happy Marriage: ‘A BJ A Day Keeps The Divorce Attorney Away’," 6 Aug. 2019 Government should not impede or discourage parents in their conscientious accumulation, husbanding and investment of those assets for their children’s education, broadly construed. — George Will, Twin Cities, "George Will: Is the individual obsolete?," 17 July 2019 Her financial gains surfaced in records tied to husband Jeremiah Quarles’ theft case. — Miles Moffeit Elvia Limón, Dallas News, "Tax funds stolen by her husband helped a DeSoto councilwoman. Why didn't authorities fully investigate?," 12 July 2019 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

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.