husband

[huhz-buhnd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR husband ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

British. a manager.

Archaic. a prudent or frugal manager.

verb (used with object)

to manage, especially with prudent economy.

to use frugally; conserve: to husband one's resources.

Archaic.

to be or become a husband to; marry.
to find a husband for.
to till; cultivate.

Nearby words

Origin of husband

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 (see boor) + -nd present participle suffix + -i inflectional ending)

SYNONYMS FOR husband

5. preserve, save, store, hoard.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR husband ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formshus·band·er, nounhus·band·less, adjectiveun·hus·band·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for husband

Toomey lives here with her husband, Mark, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, and their two daughters.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Smith attended both funerals as a cop and as the husband of Police Officer Moira Smith, who died on 9/11.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Call me when the plane leaves the ground,” she said, in a tone that implied she knew her husband well.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Douli then watched her husband go under water for the last time.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“My husband and I were in the water for more than four hours,” she said, according to ANSA news service.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The husband and wife, left together, have not much to say to each other.
Echoes of the War|J. M. Barrie
A new house is put up over the ashes of the one in which your husband lived while he was here.
A Mortal Antipathy|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
But after a few seconds he managed to blurt out: "It's your husband's house."
Secret Memoirs: The Story of Louise, Crown Princess|Henry W. Fischer
She turns as pale as ashes, and drops back on the sofa, and says, faintly: 'It is my husband.
The Queen of Hearts|Wilkie Collins
Should Mr. Palliser "forget" himself, she would know how to say a word to him as she had known how to say a word to her husband.
The Small House at Allington|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for husband

husband

noun

a woman's partner in marriage

archaic

a manager of an estate
a frugal person

verb

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

archaic

(tr)to find a husband for
(of a woman) to marry (a man)

(tr) obsolete to till (the soil)

Derived Formshusbander, nounhusbandless, adjective

Word Origin for husband

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for husband

husband

Old English husbonda "male head of a household," probably from Old Norse husbondi "master of the house," from hus "house" (see house (n.)) + bondi "householder, dweller, freeholder, peasant," from buandi, present participle of bua "to dwell" (see bower). Beginning late 13c., replaced Old English wer as "married man," companion of wif, a sad loss for English poetry. Slang shortening hubby first attested 1680s.

husband

"manage thriftily," early 15c., from husband (n.) in an obsolete sense of "steward" (mid-15c.). Related: Husbanded; husbanding.

husband

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of husband

Examples from the Web for husband

husband

noun

verb

Word Origin for husband

husband

husband