spouse

1 of 2

noun

ˈspau̇s

also

ˈspau̇z

: married person : husband, wife

spouse

2 of 2

verb

ˈspau̇z

ˈspau̇s

spoused; spousing

transitive verb

archaic

: wed

Example Sentences

Noun my brothers and sisters and their spouses employees and their spouses are covered by the health plan

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Now the national security adviser, secretary of state and vice president are calling Griner’s spouse, Cherelle.

Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2022 Scammers typically create fake online profiles on dating websites that include false personal details such as the death of a spouse, or military service, to lure victims to trust them.

Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2022 All Secure Foundation works to heal the entire family unit — not just the person, but the spouse, the children and other family members.

Fox News, 1 July 2022 In a detailed agreement, the Swedish FA agreed to cover the cost of each player bringing over their spouse, or partner, and children to England for the duration of the tournament.

Asif Burhan, Forbes, 27 June 2022 Consider how your policy will cover an employee's spouse, significant other, or dependents.

Allyson Kapin, Fortune, 27 June 2022 As the future Queen raising a future King, Kate is expected to flawlessly fulfill multiple roles: princess, supportive spouse, hands-on mom, international bridge-builder, charity advocate, style icon and more.

Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, 14 June 2022 Under Section 35, a police officer, physician, spouse, relative, guardian, or court official may petition a district court or juvenile court to commit someone with alcohol or substance use disorder to a treatment facility.

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2022 In 2009, Hannifin died without a will, a spouse, or any biological descendants.

Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French espus (masculine) & espuse (feminine), from Latin sponsus betrothed man, groom & sponsa betrothed woman, bride, both from sponsus, past participle of spondēre to promise, betroth; akin to Greek spendein to pour a libation, Hittite šipant-

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of spouse was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century