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

Example Sentences

After having miscarriages, people visited Elena, brought her food and flowers, and gifted her and her husband vouchers for restaurants "to just have a break".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Small’s husband died in 2019 after 34 years of marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Don’t miss: My husband is giving me 75% of his trust — and allocating 25% to his sister.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Her third husband, Charles Kahn, a longtime philosophy professor at Penn, died in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Aunt Tess had said I needed to do something with my life, that a girl shouldn’t rely on her parents for the first half of her life and a husband for the rest.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• companion
• partner
• spouse