breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwi-nər 

plural breadwinners

1

: a member of a family whose wages supply the family's principal or only means of support

the main/primary/sole breadwinner in the family

… many more households have two breadwinners, making it unlikely that there will be someone home all afternoon to cook.

—Mark Bittman

2

: a means (such as a tool, craft, or activity) of livelihood : a way of earning income

Crop diversity kept the overall value of Montana agriculture strong even as wheat, the state agriculture's breadwinner, faltered.

—Tom Lutey

Catfish farming has become the breadwinner industry for many families in west Alabama …

—Robert Dewitt and Benita D. Newton

breadwinning

ˈbred-ˌwi-niŋ 

noun

Examples of breadwinner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Men in the society refused to associate with moral reformers, posing a direct threat to the women who were dependent on them as their primary breadwinners. —Jenna Deep, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025

Blake’s workaholic journalist wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), is the main breadwinner in the family, striding into their apartment glued to her phone, refusing to end a work call even as Blake serves them dinner, and spending too little time with her daughter, who is often glued to Dad. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025

When his children are left to be premature breadwinners, not a moment goes by without a scuffle between family. —Stephen Saito, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025

But a growing number of young men, who lean more conservative, are looking to other countries to play out the cultural role of breadwinner. —Myisha Battle, TIME, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for breadwinner

• beginner
• dinner
• inner
• pinner
• sinner
• spinner
• thinner
• tinner
• winner

Kids Definition

breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwin-ər 

: a person whose wages provide support for his or her family