wife

noun

ˈwīf 

plural wives ˈwīvz 

1

a

dialect : woman

b

: a woman acting in a specified capacity

—used in combination

fishwife

2

: a female partner in a marriage

wifehood

ˈwīf-ˌhu̇d 

ˈwī-ˌfu̇d

noun

wifeless

ˈwī-fləs 

adjective

Synonyms

• helpmate
• helpmeet
• lady
• madam
• missus
• missis
• Mrs.
• old lady
• wifey
• woman [chiefly dialect]

Examples of wife in a Sentence

We met him and his wife.

a husband and wife who treat each other as equals in their marriage

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s the author trying to keep the peace between his new wife and his strict mother, the lesbians who can’t decide whether to have a baby, and a swarm of real estate developers looking for a windfall. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2024

So Mark McAfee and his wife Blaine loaded up their white Suburban SUV with jugs of unprocessed milk and some ice chests to keep it cool, and drove the 250 miles to the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. —Amy Feldman, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

When my wife, Patricia, and I married in 1981, Mike drummed up a party invite: Pat and Tim’s Post-Wedding Zoo-a-Thon. —Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024

Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Capt. Scott Leatham died on Thursday, leaving behind a wife and two kids, ages 15 and 12. —Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wif, from Old English wīf; akin to Old High German wīb wife and probably to Tocharian B kwīpe female pudenda

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing wife

• husband and wife
• take a wife/husband
• trophy wife

Kids Definition

wife

noun

ˈwīf 

plural wives ˈwīvz 

1

dialect : woman sense 1

2

: a female partner in a marriage