better half

noun

: spouse

Examples of better half in a Sentence

Please come to our party—and your better half is invited, too! “Allow me to introduce you to my better half, Joan”
Recent Examples on the Web As his better half Charlotte, Berry is divinely amusing and heartbreaking all at once. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 4 May 2023 And my better half who picked me up when I was gutted from this work. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024 My better half, who picked me up when I was gutted from this work. Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024 Things appear to have gotten a bit awkward between UCLA’s struggling offense and its better half. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 Another approach: pen a sweet letter to read aloud that your better half can later hold onto as a keepsake. WATCH Our bad! Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 20 Nov. 2023 But not only was Kelce in Studio 8H for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, but his better half also made the trek uptown from the West Village. Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2023 Three in five of those polled lived with their partner, while 15% shared a child with their partner, and 70% co-owned a pet with their better half. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023 Sylvia is so deliriously pleased, in fact, that she’s just sent breakup telegrams to their better halves. Naveen Kumar, Variety, 24 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'better half.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of better half was circa 1586

Dictionary Entries Near better half

Cite this Entry

“Better half.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/better%20half. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

better half

noun
: spouse
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!