husband

American  

[huhz-buhnd] / ˈhʌz bənd /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈhʌzbənd /

noun

1. a woman's partner in marriage

2. archaic

   1. a manager of an estate

   2. a frugal person

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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

Etymology

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)

Explanation

A husband is a married man. Your grandfather might joke that he and your grandmother have been husband and wife for so long because she has the patience of a saint and he is deaf as a post. The word husband comes from the Old Norse hūsbōndi, where hūs meant house and bōndi meant dweller. As a verb, husband means to conserve resources and use them frugally. Because of the flooding in the area, roads are cut off and everyone is being asked to husband their supplies. This conservation of resources sense of husband also occurs in the related noun husbandry.

Example Sentences

It was after not finishing the Chicago Marathon in October that Hauger-Thackery and husband Nick, who also trains her, decided the time was right to start a family.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

She finds comfort in the last place a self-described “city mouse” expects to find it — in the wild majesty of Montana, which her husband loved so well.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Zena Hernandez, 31, said she and her husband and two children—one from her previous marriage—live paycheck to paycheck in the Orlando area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Chavez-DeRemer's husband and father both also exchanged text messages with young female staff members, some of whom had been instructed by the labor secretary to "pay attention" to the men, the Times reported.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

I wasn’t thinking about James as husband material.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• companion
• partner
• spouse