Definition and pronunciation
husband /ˈhʌz.bənd/ — noun: a male spouse; the man to whom someone is married.
Secondary verb sense (formal/literary): to husband = to use sparingly; to conserve.
Easy explanation
A husband is a man who is married. People also say spouse or partner. In older or formal writing, “husband” as a verb means “save and use carefully,” like “husband your energy.”
Grammatical formation
- Part of speech: countable noun (a husband; two husbands).
- Forms: husband’s (singular possessive), husbands’ (plural possessive), ex-husband, would-be husband, husband-to-be.
- Attributive compounds: husband-and-wife team, husband material.
- Verb (formal): husband, husbands, husbanded, husbanding.
Meanings and nuances
- Male spouse — neutral, everyday use (“She introduced Arif as her husband.”)
- Verb ‘to husband’ — to conserve or manage frugally (“We must husband our resources.”)
With prepositions
- husband of [person] — common in headlines: “Husband of the minister speaks out.”
- husband to [person] — rarer, slightly formal: “He is husband to Maya.”
- husband and [wife/partner] — pair: “husband and wife,” “husband and husband.”
- married to [person] — status phrase, not “married with [person]” (use “married with two kids” for children info).
- by/from/for [husband] — agent/source/purpose: “a gift from her husband.”
Common collocations
loving husband; devoted husband; proud husband; ex-husband; first/second husband; future husband; husband-to-be; good husband; stay-at-home husband; husband and wife; husband and father; husband material; her husband’s family; husband’s surname; bereaved husband; doting husband
Idioms and neighboring expressions
better half; other half; ball and chain (humorous/dated, can offend); hubbie/hubby (informal); tie the knot; wedded bliss; long-suffering husband; henpecked husband (dated/stereotyped); to husband one’s resources
Word comparisons
- husband vs spouse/partner: spouse/partner are gender-neutral; husband specifies male.
- husband vs groom: groom is at/around the wedding; husband is the ongoing status.
- husband vs boyfriend/fiancé: boyfriend = dating; fiancé = engaged; husband = married.
- husband vs consort: consort is formal, often for royalty.
- husband (verb) vs save/conserve: close in meaning; husband is more formal or literary.
Real-life examples
- “My husband and I filed joint taxes this year.”
- “She met her husband in college.”
- “As the storm worsened, we husbanded our supplies.”
- “He’s a stay-at-home husband while finishing grad school.”
Sample sentences
- “Is your husband joining us for dinner?”
- “They’ve been husband and wife for twenty years.”
- “She kept her own name after marrying her husband.”
- “He introduced Jamal as his husband.”
- “Her ex-husband lives in Chicago.”
- “The obituary mentioned her husband and two children.”
- “As a husband, he shares the parenting equally.”
- “The headline read: ‘Husband of actor denies rumors.’”
- “You’ll need to husband your energy for the final climb.”
- “They run a small business as a husband-and-wife team.”
Synonyms
spouse, partner, mate, hubby, wedded partner, consort, husband-to-be, groom (ceremonial)
Antonyms
single, unmarried, bachelor, ex-husband, ex-partner, widow(er) (status contrast), fiancé (pre-marital)
Related terms
wife, spouse, partner, groom, bridegroom, newlywed, fiancé, fiancée, marriage, matrimony, wedlock, marital, conjugal, husbandry (management of resources), family, in-laws, cohabitation, domestic partner, spouse visa
Connection to sexuality
“Husband” names a marital role, not a sexual act. It may appear in contexts involving marital intimacy (“conjugal relations”) or fidelity, but the word itself is non-sexual and focuses on legal/social identity.
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