spouse

American  

[spous, spouz, spouz, spous] / spaʊs, spaʊz, spaʊz, spaʊs /

noun

• spouses
  plural

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

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verb (used with object)

spoused, spousing

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

spouse British  

noun

1. a person's partner in marriage

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verb

1. obsolete (tr) to marry

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spousehood
  noun
• spouseless
  adjective
• unspoused
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spouses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spouse

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; cf. espouse

Explanation

A spouse is your companion, your mate, your partner. In ye olden times, spouse was used as a verb meaning “to marry,” but nowadays, it functions as a noun referring to either husband or wife. Your spouse is often called "your better half." What we call adultery used to be referred to as spouse-breach in the early 13th century. American pediatrician Benjamin Spock said, “The surest measure of a man's or a woman's maturity is the harmony, style, joy, and dignity he creates in his marriage, and the pleasure and inspiration he provides for his spouse.” So, avoid that spouse-breaching at all costs, and till death do you part.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spouse spouses spoused

You’re essentially prepaying tax at a bargain rate as part of a long-term tax-reduction strategy to spare your surviving spouse, or your future self, a much bigger tax hit later.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

From April next year, employees in Great Britain who lose a spouse, partner, parent, adult child or sibling will be entitled to up to two weeks' unpaid leave.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The widow’s penalty is not a separate tax, but rather the combined effect of several changes that can leave a surviving spouse with less income and a higher tax bill.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Whoever is named as beneficiary on the account itself inherits them, so make sure that each account currently names the other spouse as primary beneficiary.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

The baroness silenced her spouse with a look.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

You may call it an age-gap retirement or May-December planning — but when financial planner Jon Ulin helps couples who have a 10-year-plus age gap between spouses, he calls it a “two-clock problem.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

The spouses can retain assets they owned at the outset, but any appreciation in those assets over the course of the marriage are typically divided equally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Two spouses who each own 3% of the business are treated as 6% owners, and neither one qualifies.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

For Netflix, the spouses have put forward numerous projects, including documentary series and reality shows “Harry & Meghan,” “Heart of Invictus” and cooking show “With Love, Meghan.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

I understood that I was more active than many candidates’ spouses, which made me more of a target for attacks.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The unworthy suit, She scorned, from childhood spoused in heart to Christ: She fled: upon the river lay a boat: She rowed it on through forests many a mile; A month had passed since then.

From Legends of the Saxon Saints by Aubrey De Vere

Thou shalt be spoused to fair Gwendoline; Love her, and take her, for she is thine own, If so thy uncle and her self do please.

From Locrine/Mucedorus by Shakespeare (spurious and doubtful works)

SIR Clerk of Oxenford," our Hoste said, "Ye ride as still and coy, as doth a maid That were new spoused, sitting at the board: This day I heard not of your tongue a word.

From The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by D. Laing Purves

To followe pleasure, and the beastlie mocions of the mynde: what libertée call you that, to liue in a godly, meane, The libertie in mariage. and Mediocritée of life, with thy spoused wife.

From A booke called the Foundacion of Rhetorike because all other partes of Rhetorike are grounded thereupon, euery parte sette forthe in an Oracion vpon questions, verie profitable to bee knowen and redde by Richard Rainolde

And right as Rachel and Leah were both wives unto Jacob, right so man's soul through light of knowing in the reason, and sweetness of love in the affection, is spoused unto God.

From The Cell of Self-Knowledge : seven early English mystical treatises printed by Henry Pepwell in 1521 by Edmund Garratt Gardner

Related Words

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