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.
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
She stood and pressed her palms together just as Ritu auntie rounded the corner in her wheelchair, pushed, as usual, by her silent, watchful new daughter-in-law, Seema.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
