spouse
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Usage
What does spouse mean? Someone’s spouse is the person who they’re married to—their partner in marriage.A spouse who’s a man is often called a husband, while a spouse who’s a woman is often called a wife. The word partner is a gender-neutral way to refer to one’s spouse. People most commonly use one of these terms when talking about or introducing their spouse, as opposed to using the word spouse. The word spouse is more commonly used in formal or official contexts, such as on forms that require family relations to be specified.An adjective form of spouse is spousal, meaning relating to or involving marriage, as in Does this insurance plan provide spousal coverage?Example: If you and your spouse file your taxes jointly, you may be eligible for certain rebates.
Other Word Forms
- spousehood noun
- spouseless adjective
- unspoused adjective
Etymology
Origin of spouse
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French spous (masculine), spouse (feminine), shortened from espous, espouse, from Latin spōnsus, spōnsa, literally, “pledged (man, woman),” noun uses of past participle of spondēre “to pledge”; (for the verb) Middle English spousen, from Old French esp(o)user; espouse
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.
If one spouse dies and the other inherits the IRA, that can raise the survivor’s top tax rate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Todd Bridges has taken steps to make his split from Bettijo Hirschi official after announcing in January that he and his spouse had separated.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
"Luckily, I have no children. I don't have a spouse, so it's just me and whatever I have I help my sister with."
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
The UK, in response, revoked accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse, saying it would "not stand for intimidation of British embassy staff and their families".
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
“So if I have a spouse, and maybe children, I will have to hide the books from them?”
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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.
