in-law

American

[in-law] / ˈɪnˌlɔ /

noun

a relative by marriage.

in-law British

noun

a relative by marriage

"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

adjective

(postpositive; in combination) related by marriage

a father-in-law

"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

Etymology

Origin of in-law

First recorded in 1890–95; back formation from mother-in-law, brother-in-law, etc.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vasquez, 31, her husband and their kids arrived in Puerto Rico in late December along with her in-laws, who paid for the trip.

From The Wall Street Journal

The film was an instant comic classic, taking in-law anxiety to new heights.

From Salon

Over the next few weeks, he expects to take back to stores a lot of fake Christmas trees and ornaments, along with unwanted presents from in-laws and clothes in aspirational sizes.

From The Wall Street Journal

This isn’t really about money, but does anyone else have rotten in-laws?

From MarketWatch

If we do let them pay for something small, my wife is worried that my in-laws will see it as a sign that they have permission to take over.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023