spouse

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of spousenext
: a partner in a marriage : husband, wife

spouse

2 of 2

verb

spoused; spousing

transitive verb

archaic
: wed

Examples of spouse in a Sentence

Noun my brothers and sisters and their spouses employees and their spouses are covered by the health plan
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
In one of the health plans, for example, an OCPS teacher who insured a spouse or domestic partner would see the bi-weekly, per-paycheck costs rise from about $300 this year to $675 next year. Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026 Under current state law, lawmakers must file annual disclosure statements that describe their finances, debts and property holdings, alongside financial information about their spouses. Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Selling Sunset star recently celebrated her 43rd birthday by renewing her vows to spouse G Flip in Australia, G Flip’s home country. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for spouse

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spouse. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

spouse

noun
ˈspau̇s
also ˈspau̇z
: a married person : husband, wife
spousal
ˈspau̇-zəl
-səl
adjective

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