wife
a married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage.
a woman (archaic or dial., except in idioms): old wives' tale.
Idioms about wife
take to wife, to marry (a particular woman): He took an heiress to wife.
Origin of wife
1Other words from wife
- wifedom, noun
- wifeless, adjective
- wife·less·ness, noun
Other definitions for -wife (2 of 2)
a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in compound words that in general designate traditional roles or occupations of women: fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wife in a sentence
My wife and Jojo took off immediately while I stayed to pack up the important papers, the most treasured stuffed animals, and the GravityWorks system.
The High-Capacity Water Filter You Need for Base Camp | Joe Jackson | November 20, 2020 | Outside OnlineAlex Ovechkin’s inside page features a photo of him with his wife, Nastya Ovechkina, and their two sons, Sergei and Ilya, in Russia.
Capitals’ 2021 calendar features relatable theme, with players at home during pandemic | Scott Allen | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostGingrich had also been cheating on his wife during this time, although that didn’t come out until later.
Cal Cunningham lost. Katie Hill resigned. Are we still put off by sex scandals? | Lisa Bonos | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostNow 70, he lives with his wife, Kathryn Chadbourne, in rural North Carolina, and will soon be moving into a care center, Elin said.
Why this Virginia man spent days making an Alzheimer’s ‘busy box’ for a stranger | Cathy Free | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostIn addition to his wife, survivors include three brothers, three children and nine grandchildren.
Jonathan Sacks, influential chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, dies at 72 | Phil Davison | November 10, 2020 | Washington Post
British Dictionary definitions for wife
/ (waɪf) /
a man's partner in marriage; a married woman: Related adjective: uxorial
an archaic or dialect word for woman
take to wife to marry (a woman)
Origin of wife
1Derived forms of wife
- wifehood, noun
- wifeless, adjective
- wifelike, adjective
- wifeliness, noun
- wifely, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with wife
see under wives.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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