spouse

[spous, spouz, spouz, spous]

noun

1. either member of a married pair in relation to the other; one's husband or wife.

verb (used with object)

spoused, spousing 

1. Obsolete.,  to join, give, or take in marriage.

spouse

noun

1. a person's partner in marriage

verb

1. obsolete,  (tr) to marry

Other Word Forms

• spousehood noun
• spouseless adjective
• unspoused adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spouse¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French spous (masculine), spouse (feminine), shortened from espous, espouse, from Latin spōnsus, spōnsa, literally, “pledged (man, woman),” noun uses of past participle of spondēre “to pledge”; (for the verb) Middle English spousen, from Old French esp(o)user; espouse

Word History and Origins

Origin of spouse¹

C12: from Old French spus (masculine), spuse (feminine), from Latin sponsus, sponsa betrothed man or woman, from spondēre to promise solemnly

Example Sentences

Stein is survived by his wife, son Gary Stein, daughter Darolyn Bellemeur, and their spouses, children and grandchildren, his brother Ira Stein, a nephew, cousins as well as Connie Stein’s children and grandchildren.

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From our experience, the improved buds can block the sound of rowdy restaurants, rumbling buses—and attention-seeking spouses and children.

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Arizona law awards them to the spouse who intends to use them for birth, or the one most likely to do so if both parties wish to use them to have babies.

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Nonspouse beneficiaries cannot always roll an inherited plan into their own IRA in the same way that a spouse can.

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This prompted her to get a breast reduction in 2015, years after she stopped working for the celebrity spouses.

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Related Words

• companion 
• domestic partner 
• husband 
• mate 
• partner 
• wife 

When To Use

What does spouse mean?

Someone’s spouse is the person who they’re married to—their partner in marriage.A spouse who’s a man is often called a husband, while a spouse who’s a woman is often called a wife. The word partner is a gender-neutral way to refer to one’s spouse. People most commonly use one of these terms when talking about or introducing their spouse, as opposed to using the word spouse. The word spouse is more commonly used in formal or official contexts, such as on forms that require family relations to be specified.An adjective form of spouse is spousal, meaning relating to or involving marriage, as in Does this insurance plan provide spousal coverage?Example: If you and your spouse file your taxes jointly, you may be eligible for certain rebates.