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

Many of the women were sole breadwinners of their families and had lost their jobs and their rights because of the Taliban. —Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 3 Dec. 2024

Working women are increasingly juggling the responsibilities of being both the family breadwinner and shouldering a majority of the housework. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2024

The personal and economic toll on migrant families of losing their loved one – often the breadwinner – is immense. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2024

One working mother opened up about her life as the breadwinner with a husband who says home. —Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwin-ər 

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