husband
Americannoun
-
a married man, especially when considered in relation to his partner in marriage.
-
British. a manager.
-
Archaic. a prudent or frugal manager.
noun
-
a woman's partner in marriage
-
archaic
-
a manager of an estate
-
a frugal person
-
verb
-
to manage or use (resources, finances, etc) thriftily
-
archaic
-
(tr) to find a husband for
-
(of a woman) to marry (a man)
-
-
obsolete (tr) to till (the soil)
Other Word Forms
- husbander noun
- husbandless adjective
- unhusbanded adjective
Etymology
Origin of husband
before 1000; Middle English husband ( e ), Old English hūsbonda master of the house < Old Norse hūsbōndi, equivalent to hūs house + bōndi ( bō-, variant of bū- dwell ( boor ) + -nd present participle suffix + -i inflectional ending)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Police in the Bahamas are searching for an American woman who disappeared after reportedly falling overboard from a small boat while vacationing with her husband.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
LaMonica says she and her husband never thought they would house both daughters in a converted garage.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Don’t take his deal if it leaves you feeling queasy or questionable, especially if you don’t like your children being potentially dependent on the largesse of your husband.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
"It's scary as songwriters," said Kassie Jordan, who forms the singing duo Blue Honey with her husband Troy Brooks.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
If anybody was due for a husband to magically appear out of thin air, it was my soon-to-be-matronly aunt.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
