domestic partner

American  

[duh-mes-tik pahrt-ner] / dəˈmɛs tɪk ˈpɑrt nər /

noun

1. either member of an unmarried, cohabiting heterosexual or gay couple whose relationship status grants certain legal rights and protections similar to those of spouses.

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Other Word Forms

• domestic partnership noun

Etymology

Origin of domestic partner

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

States enforce these restraining orders, she said, and at least 48 states authorize taking away guns from people who are judged to pose a danger to a domestic partner.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023

Such an order typically requires a court finding that the person “represents a credible threat” to a domestic partner.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2023

Howard K. Stern — Smith's attorney, agent and domestic partner — continued to fight on behalf of her estate but in 2011, the Supreme Court posthumously ruled against Smith.

From Salon • May 17, 2023

Another described a nurse referring to her domestic partner, now husband, as a “baby daddy.”

From New York Times • May 6, 2023

It would be just as safe and sensible for the merchant to neglect his cash book, as for his domestic partner, who undertakes to do her business properly, to fail to keep her cash book.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 3, September 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various