father-in-law
Americannoun
-
fathers-in-law
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of father-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fader in lawe; see origin at father, 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:
Robert De Niro returns as Greg’s ever suspicious father-in-law in the latest entry in the comedic series.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
My father-in-law recently passed away, and my husband is the executor of his estate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Kushner’s, on the other hand, is primarily influenced by his alleged business savvy; like his father-in-law, he sees everything through the lens of a win-win real estate deal.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
But Joe said he thought his late father-in-law would have been on board with the plan.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Since Aureliano at that time had very confused notions about the difference between Conservatives and Liberals, his father-in-law gave him some schematic lessons.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Fathers, fathers-in-law, and brothers of current Royals players and staff travel with the group.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
Each of the sons’ fathers-in-law also had accounts at the bank worth millions of dollars, as did other businessmen linked to the Mubaraks, whom Egyptian authorities tried on corruption charges.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
About 35 to 40 percent of Purush Spandana will be purchased by women, who hope that by casually leaving a copy around the house, their husbands, fathers-in-law or sons may give it a glance.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2012
And Paul finally realizes that his office/apartment/mole cave of blurry boundaries, provocative teenagers and angry fathers-in-law from exotic complicated countries, does not, right now, feel like the best place to raise a 12-year-old.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2010
De la Brive Sir, had I been obliged to take my choice of all the fathers-in-law in Paris, I should have given the preference to you.
From Mercadet A Comedy in Three Acts by Honoré de Balzac
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.
