daughter-in-law
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Aqeel Khalaf, an herbalist, hit the road in the early morning with his brother, son and daughter-in-law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
My son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter live there and take care of utilities, yardwork and maintenance.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
The woman's daughter-in-law, visibly shaken as she spoke, said there were no cones, warning signs, or barriers around the maintenance hole.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Annie is everything you would hope for in a daughter-in-law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
I was no longer a wife or a bahus, a daughter-in-law.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
His grandad Michael, 65, started out in 1992 and, at various points over the years, has been joined by all five of his sons and two of his daughters-in-law.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2025
Moore is survived by his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2024
Photos from their trips, along with smiling images of their sons, daughters-in-law and three granddaughters, adorn every square foot of their spacious two-bedroom apartment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
Mollie also made dozens of quilt blocks that her daughters and daughters-in-law would eventually assemble.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
Her daughters-in-law loved her, too, and she returned the feeling.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
