spouse
Other forms: spouses
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.
Definitions of spouse
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a person's partner in marriage
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synonyms:
better half, married person, mate, partner
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examples:
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Albert Francis Charles Augustus Emmanuel
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
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Bathsheba
(Old Testament) the wife of Uriah and later the wife of king David; Solomon was her son by David (circa 10th century BC)
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Catherine of Aragon
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
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Anne Hathaway
wife of William Shakespeare (1556-1623)
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Marquise de Maintenon
French consort of Louis XIV who secretly married the king after the death of his first wife (1635-1719)
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Rachel
(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
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Rebecca
(Old Testament) wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau
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Ruth
the great-grandmother of king David whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament
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Sarah
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
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types:
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bigamist
someone who marries one person while already legally married to another
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consort
the husband or wife of a reigning monarch
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helpmate, helpmeet
a helpful partner
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hubby, husband, married man
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
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monogamist, monogynist
someone who practices monogamy (one spouse at a time)
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honeymooner, newlywed
someone recently married
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polygamist
someone who is married to two or more people at the same time
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married woman, wife
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
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battle-ax, battle-axe
a sharp-tongued domineering wife
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benedick, benedict
a newly married man (especially one who has long been a bachelor)
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bride
a woman who has recently been married
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crown princess
the wife of a crown prince
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cuckold
a man whose wife committed adultery
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family man
a man whose family is of major importance in his life
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first lady
the wife of a chief executive
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golf widow
a wife who is left alone much of the time because her husband is playing golf
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bridegroom, groom
a man who has recently been married
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honest woman
a wife who has married a man with whom she has been living for some time (especially if she is pregnant at the time)
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house husband, househusband
a husband who keeps house while his wife earns the family income
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homemaker, housewife, lady of the house, woman of the house
a wife who manages a household while her husband earns the family income
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marchioness
the wife or widow of a marquis
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matron
a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
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mayoress
the wife of a mayor
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missis, missus
informal term of address for someone's wife
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old lady
your own wife
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polyandrist
a woman with two or more husbands
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polygynist
a man with two or more wives
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prince consort
a prince who is the husband of a reigning female sovereign
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sheika, sheikha
the wife of a sheik
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signora
an Italian title of address equivalent to Mrs. when used before a name
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trophy wife
a wife who is an attractive young woman; seldom the first wife of an affluent older man
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ux., uxor
(legal terminology) the Latin word for wife
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uxoricide
a husband who murders his wife
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vicereine
wife of a viceroy
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viscountess
a wife or widow of a viscount
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type of:
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domestic partner, significant other, spousal equivalent, spouse equivalent
a person (not necessarily a spouse) with whom you cohabit and share a long-term sexual relationship
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relation, relative
a person related by blood or marriage
Pronunciation
US
/spaʊs/
UK
/spaʊs/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘spouse'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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