in-law
Americannoun
-
in-laws
plural
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of in-law
First recorded in 1890–95; back formation from mother-in-law, brother-in-law, etc.
Explanation
An in-law is someone who is a relative because of marriage, like your husband's sister or your wife's father. You can refer to your spouse's entire family as your in-laws. In some countries, a married woman moves in with her in-laws, symbolically becoming part of their family. In the U.S. some families live with extended family members — a man may live with his wife, kids, and his mother- and father-in-law — but more often each individual nuclear family lives separately. In-law originally meant "anyone of a relationship not natural" or "not by blood."
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.
See Examples For:
The film was an instant comic classic, taking in-law anxiety to new heights.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
There’s also a lower-level lounge, media room, wine cellar, an in-law suite, and a home gym.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
The presence of the surly uncle, insufferable in-law, or grating girlfriend at the holiday table can make it hard to truly count one’s blessings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden's sister, added: "My brother returned, but my sister in-law and nephews have not. Yarden asks about them and I have no answers for him."
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2025
His wife, Valencia, was outside, and his father- in-law, Lionel Merble, was strapped to the seat beside him.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Her in-laws had a different reaction: “We were showing them the house, and they got more irritated with every room — like, ‘You have books in here too?’
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Brandon Oldenburg, 53, has taken on much of the responsibility of caring for his in-laws in part to help ensure his wife can keep doing her job.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
He had been visiting his future in-laws and wanted to eat at an Italian deli and see Tony Soprano’s house before flying home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
So Johnson delayed visits from her parents, in-laws and grandmother to meet the newest member of their family as she monitored him for measles symptoms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The husbands would just as soon have not gone to their in-laws, but they felt annoyed at the father's strutting.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
