- a person's partner in marriageRelated adjective(s): spousal
- (transitive) obsolete to marry
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
spouse
(n. spous, spouz;v. spouz, spous),USA pronunciation n., v., spoused, spous•ing.
n.
v.t.
spouse′hood, n.
spouse′less, adj.
n.
- either member of a married pair in relation to the other;
one's husband or wife.
v.t.
- [Obs.]to join, give, or take in marriage.
- Old French esp(o)user; compare espouse
- Latin spōnsus, spōnsa literally, pledged (man, woman) (noun, nominal uses of past participle of spondēre to pledge), equivalent. to spond- verb stem + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (verb, verbal) Middle English spousen
- Old French spous (masculine), spouse (feminine) (aphetic for espous, espouse)
- (noun, nominal) Middle English 1150–1200
spouse′less, adj.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
spouse n /spaʊs; spaʊz/
'spouse' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
adultery
- alimony
- better half
- condone
- consortium
- cuckold
- desertion
- divorce
- eligible
- espouse
- estrange
- estranged
- faithful
- fidelity
- give away
- grass widow
- jointure
- maintenance
- match
- respond
- significant other
- step-
- widow
- widower
- alienation of affections
- batterer
- child support
- common law
- companionate marriage
- confidential communication
- connivance
- consort
- cruelty
- deceive
- dependent
- despot
- espousal
- estovers
- ex
- extramarital
- family
- grant
- Kaddish
- make
- marrow
- mate
- morganatic
- Mr. Right
- nephew
- niece