husband

American  

[huhz-buhnd] / ˈhʌz bənd /

noun

1. a married man, especially when considered in relation to his partner in marriage.

2. British. a manager.

3. Archaic. a prudent or frugal manager.

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verb (used with object)

1. to manage, especially with prudent economy.

2. to use frugally; conserve.

   to husband one's resources.

   Synonyms:

   hoard, store, save, preserve

3. Archaic.

   1. to be or become a husband to; marry.

   2. to find a husband for.

   3. to till; cultivate.

husband British  

/ ˈhʌzbənd /

noun

1. a woman's partner in marriage

2. archaic

   1. a manager of an estate

   2. a frugal person

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verb

1. to manage or use (resources, finances, etc) thriftily

2. archaic

   1. (tr) to find a husband for

   2. (of a woman) to marry (a man)

3. obsolete (tr) to till (the soil)

Other Word Forms

• husbander noun
• husbandless adjective
• unhusbanded adjective

Etymology

Origin of husband

before 1000; Middle English husband ( e ), Old English hūsbonda master of the house < Old Norse hūsbōndi, equivalent to hūs house + bōndi ( bō-, variant of bū- dwell ( see boor) + -nd present participle suffix + -i inflectional ending)

Explanation

A husband is a married man. Your grandfather might joke that he and your grandmother have been husband and wife for so long because she has the patience of a saint and he is deaf as a post. The word husband comes from the Old Norse hūsbōndi, where hūs meant house and bōndi meant dweller. As a verb, husband means to conserve resources and use them frugally. Because of the flooding in the area, roads are cut off and everyone is being asked to husband their supplies. This conservation of resources sense of husband also occurs in the related noun husbandry.

Example Sentences

Sydney Buckley and her husband, René Barajas Jr., moved out of the West Palm Beach area, which is now a net loser of domestic migrants, last September.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

They had no idea what might happen to their husband and father, and when this was all going to end.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

Roxanne lived in a double-wide trailer with her husband, plus her parents-in-law and brother-in-law.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

"My husband said, 'I wonder what the story is and why a book from Devon has ended up in a charity shop in Keswick'," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Mrs. Maroney was to trust the book peddler and trust her husband, but she already knew that both men had seen the insides of jail cells.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• companion
• partner
• spouse