1
: a male partner in a marriage
her husband of forty years
2
British : the manager of another's property : steward
3
: a frugal manager
… speaks his whole mind gaily, and is not the cautious husband of a part …—
W. B. Yeats
W. B. Yeats
husbandly adjective
husbanded; husbanding; husbands
1
a
: to manage prudently and economically
a country that has husbanded its resources well
b
: to use sparingly : conserve
must husband one's strength
2
archaic : to find a husband for : mate
husbander noun
Examples of husband in a Sentence
Noun Have you met her husband? she and her husband just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Verb The country has husbanded its resources well. husband our natural resources so that our children and grandchildren may benefit from them
Recent Examples on the Web
Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026 Hitler comes to power; Lajos, by now a regional administrator, reluctantly carries out the Nazis’ orders, consigning the local Jewish population to death; Ilona and her husband flee to America by way of Switzerland. —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026 The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for husband
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Your husband’s petty desire to be right about everything is understandably annoying and somewhat typical behavior. —Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026 Hitler comes to power; Lajos, by now a regional administrator, reluctantly carries out the Nazis’ orders, consigning the local Jewish population to death; Ilona and her husband flee to America by way of Switzerland. —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race. —Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026 The glimpse reminded voters that Davis, who was husbanding his resources for a late advertising push, was still in the race. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for husband
Cite this Entry
“Husband.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/husband. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
husband
1 of 2 noun
hus·band ˈhəz-bənd 
: a male partner in a marriage
husband
2 of 2 verb
: to manage carefully and economically : conserve
husbanded their resources
husbander noun
Etymology
Noun
Old English hūsbonda "master of a house," from early Norse hūsbondi, literally, "house owner" — related to house
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