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

Galvan, whose husband was also unemployed after a tech layoff, eventually enrolled in graduate school and currently works part-time as a writing tutor and editor of various blogs and journals at San Jose State University.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Adamson and her husband, Paul, checked in shortly after 14:30 BST and reported a fault with the television.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 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

She and her husband had moved in with their in-laws because all four of them are disabled and it was easier to care for one another and make ends meet being in one household.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Mrs. Maroney was to trust the book peddler and trust her husband, but she already knew that both men had seen the insides of jail cells.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• companion
• partner
• spouse