daughter-in-law
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of daughter-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English doughter in lawe; see origin at daughter, in, law 1; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins
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.
Trump’s son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara joined the tour.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
She is the daughter-in-law of former Fifth District City Councilmember Zev Yaroslavsky, who later served on the county board of supervisors.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Farran and her family stayed with some relatives, while her daughter-in-law went to stay with her parents.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Woods is dating Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump.
From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026
Starting the boys off, getting things going, he left to his bustling daughter-in-law.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
