husband
Americannoun
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a married man, especially when considered in relation to his partner in marriage.
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British. a manager.
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Archaic. a prudent or frugal manager.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a woman's partner in marriage
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archaic
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a manager of an estate
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a frugal person
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verb
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to manage or use (resources, finances, etc) thriftily
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archaic
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(tr) to find a husband for
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(of a woman) to marry (a man)
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obsolete (tr) to till (the soil)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has husbandedperfect 3rd person singular
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have husbandedperfect
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is husbandingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been husbandingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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husbandingparticiple
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am husbandingprogressive 1st person singular
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are husbandingprogressive
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have been husbandingperfect progressive
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husbandssingular 3rd person
Past
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had husbandedperfect
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had been husbandingperfect progressive
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was husbandingprogressive singular
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husbandedsimple
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were husbandingprogressive plural
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husbandedparticiple
Future
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 ( see boor) + -nd present participle suffix + -i inflectional ending)
Explanation
A husband is a married man. Your grandfather might joke that he and your grandmother have been husband and wife for so long because she has the patience of a saint and he is deaf as a post. The word husband comes from the Old Norse hūsbōndi, where hūs meant house and bōndi meant dweller. As a verb, husband means to conserve resources and use them frugally. Because of the flooding in the area, roads are cut off and everyone is being asked to husband their supplies. This conservation of resources sense of husband also occurs in the related noun husbandry.
Vocabulary lists containing husband
The Taming of the Shrew
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Units 2–3
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"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, Induction
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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.
Lady Donaldson added her husband had said "that's in the past and it's been dealt with".
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
On Monday, Grossman’s husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, took the witness stand for a second day.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The planned seaside resort in the coastal area of Zvernec, linked to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, has triggered protests in several cities both inside the country and abroad.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The closer your husband gets to that great golf club in the sky, the more the insurance company will want him to give up the policy.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Gertie receives the news of her husband in bits and pieces.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
