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

One edit, of a picture of a man, a dog and his wife, has been viewed over 49 million times on X as of reporting, while another post which edited memes into a Ghibli style has also received nearly 50 million views. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

Some individuals have felt the impact of the disruption in funding too. Jason Frey and his wife live in California and own a condo on Maui. —Chris Arnold, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025

Bob still drives himself and his wife to the shop every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025

Everyone thought my mom was a saint for being my dad's wife, for taking care of not just him but our entire household. —Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for wife

• knife
• life
• rife
• strife
• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• loosestrife

Kids Definition

wife

noun

ˈwīf 

plural wives ˈwīvz 

1

dialect : woman sense 1

2

: a female partner in a marriage