husband

[huhz-buhnd]

noun

1. a married man, especially when considered in relation to his partner in marriage.

2. British.,  a manager.

3. Archaic.,  a prudent or frugal manager.

verb (used with object)

1. to manage, especially with prudent economy.

2. to use frugally; conserve.

   to husband one's resources.

   Synonyms: hoard, store, save, preserve

3. Archaic.

   1. to be or become a husband to; marry.

   2. to find a husband for.

   3. to till; cultivate.

husband

/ ˈhʌzbənd /

noun

1. a woman's partner in marriage

2. archaic

   1. a manager of an estate

   2. a frugal person

verb

1. to manage or use (resources, finances, etc) thriftily

2. archaic

   1. (tr) to find a husband for

   2. (of a woman) to marry (a man)

3. obsolete,  (tr) to till (the soil)

Other Word Forms

• husbander noun
• husbandless adjective
• unhusbanded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of husband¹

before 1000; Middle English husband ( e ), Old English hūsbonda master of the house < Old Norse hūsbōndi, equivalent to hūs house + bōndi ( bō-, variant of bū- dwell ( boor ) + -nd present participle suffix + -i inflectional ending)

Word History and Origins

Origin of husband¹

Old English hūsbonda, from Old Norse hūsbōndi, from hūs house + bōndi one who has a household, from bōa to dwell

Example Sentences

My stepdaughter recently separated from her husband in Utah.

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He decided to offer his course to parents for free after hearing mother Lindsey Brown describe how she and her husband had been physically assaulted by their son, pinned to the floor, concussed and cut.

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Another was his neighbour's husband, he said, and a third one was one of his best friends, according to local newspaper, The Tennessean.

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Before the fall, Tina had been a high achiever - she and her husband Mark met while working as navigators in the RAF, and Tina went on to retrain as a lawyer.

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A woman accused of plotting to kill her husband received a text from her secret lover suggesting she should "smother him in a pillow" and he would "finish it off".

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Related Words

• companion 
• partner 
• spouse