spouse

noun \ ˈspau̇s also ˈspau̇z \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of spouse

: married person : husband, wife

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spousal

play \ˈspau̇-zəl, -səl\ adjective

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Examples of spouse in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of spouse from the Web

In June 2015, the latest year for which official data is available, about 300,000 Indians, including spouses and children, were waiting for their permanent residency cards.

— miriam jordan, New York Times, "Thousands of Indian Women Find Their American Dreams in Jeopardy," 6 Apr. 2018
Matt and Amy divorced in 2016, and the former spouses have both moved on to a new significant other.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "Matt Roloff's Instagram Has Fans Wondering About Tonight's Premiere," 3 Apr. 2018
There has been no such rift for EPA administrator Pruitt, despite a string of embarrassing stories about his first-class flights, his apparently cozy low-rent housing situation courtesy of the spouse of an energy lobbyist, and more.

— z. byron wolf, CNN, "The kiss of death in Trump's Cabinet is disagreeing with the boss," 3 Apr. 2018
Against Women Act allows tribes to charge non-Natives for domestic violence against intimate partners or spouses and when protection orders are violated.

— Washington Post, "Tribes see improvements, hurdles as they charge non-Natives," 2 Apr. 2018
Triton tuition and fees will be waived for himself, his spouse and his children, and his children’s waiver will continue for five years after his employment ends.

— anna bybee-schier, chicagotribune.com, "Triton College renews administrator contracts," 2 Apr. 2018
In fact, a person could spend her whole day in anticlutter pursuits, reading about clutter, donating clutter, fighting with spouses and children about clutter.

— beth teitell, BostonGlobe.com, "40 years into the war on clutter, and we’re still overwhelmed by stuff. What’s going on?," 27 Mar. 2018
Under the supervision of a veteran doctor, known as an attending, trainees help operate on a real live human, who might have a spouse and kids—and, if something goes awry, a very angry lawyer.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Med Students Are Getting Terrible Training in Robotic Surgery," 15 Mar. 2018
And either is a source of heartbreak for seniors, their partners and spouses and their families.

— episcopal retirement services, Cincinnati.com, "How Older Adults, Their Partners, and Caregivers Can Keep Love Alive as Memories Fade," 26 Feb. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of spouse

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-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined above

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