widow

noun

Definition of widownext
as in wife

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of widow Across from Wallace sat Coretta Scott King, the Reverend’s widow. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 Six months after Vincent’s suicide, Theo died from the ravages of syphilis, leaving Jo a young widow with a baby to support, not much money, and an unusual inheritance—Vincent’s paintings—more than 400 in total. — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026 Among them was a 61-year-old woman tipped out of her canoe by an alligator in 2025 and an 85-year-old widow who was dragged out of her backyard by an alligator while walking her dog in 2023. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 In it, a young woman moves to a mansion on the coast of Cornwall haunted by the ghost of her new husband’s widow. — Rebekah Faubion, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for widow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widow
  1. wife
  2. spouse
  3. madam
Noun
  • Smallwood attacks Nick’s virility, saying he’ll be publicly humiliated when his wife has to bail him out again in court.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In 2008, Holmes was arrested in Coral Gables on a domestic battery charge related to his ex-wife; the case was later dismissed.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wife
Noun
  • These women — cradle Catholics and converts, former nuns, teachers, hospice chaplains, counselors, spouses, mothers, grandmothers — say their defiance is the fulfillment of a vocation, no different than the call answered by their male counterparts.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • If either of us wanted to get married, the spouse-to-be would have to sign a form promising to (1) recite the Elephant Care Vow daily, and (2) live at the Clinic forever.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of spouse
Noun
  • Now going by that nickname, Cathy appears on the doorstep of a respected brothel run by the warm madam, Faye (Martha Plimpton).
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The origin story helps contextualize the misery and self-isolation of Cathy’s later years, as the madam of a Salinas whorehouse.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of madam

Browse Nearby Words

widish
widow
widowed
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Cite this Entry

“Widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widow. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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