husband

1 of 2

noun

hus·​band ˈhəz-bənd 

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

husbandly adjective

husband

2 of 2

verb

husbanded; husbanding; husbands

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

Noun

• hubby
• man
• mister
• old man

Verb

• conserve

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

Noun

That same year, Mercado received a proposal from her husband's brother and sister-in-law that would revolutionize her life, but this time for the better. —Paula Soria, The Arizona Republic, 16 Dec. 2024

Harriet’s husband, Carl (Reginald VelJohnson), is a Chicago police officer who watches the family’s budget like a hawk and occasionally, under stress, blows his top. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024

Verb

At the same time, Washington should husband its resources, expending them as efficiently as possible and convincing Kyiv to avoid large, wasteful offensives. —Peter Schroeder, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2024

While Stone nursed his spacecraft along, NASA brass husbanded their budget, ultimately winning funding to keep Voyager 2 flying. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 12 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English husbonde, from Old English hūsbonda master of a house, from Old Norse hūsbōndi, from hūs house + bōndi householder; akin to Old Norse būa to inhabit; akin to Old English būan to dwell — more at bower

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing husband

• husband and wife
• take a wife/husband

Kids 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