wife

noun

ˈwīf How to pronounce wife (audio)
plural wives ˈwīvz How to pronounce wife (audio)
Synonyms of wifenext
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 How to pronounce wife (audio)
ˈwī-ˌfu̇d
noun
wifeless
ˈwī-fləs How to pronounce wife (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of wife

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His wife, Cheryl, is a horticulturist with degrees from Cal Poly and UC Davis. — David Caraccio updated July 4, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026 The husband was a mechanical engineer and the wife worked in the administration office of the local Lutheran school. — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 Swift and Sandler have been friends for the past few years, and the singer has enjoyed a friendship with Sunny and Sadie, Sandler's daughters with wife Jackie. — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026 Gardner’s Big Slick co-host and fellow Chiefs fanatic, Eric Stonestreet and his wife, Lindsay, attended. — Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wife

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wife was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing wife

Rhymes for wife

See All Rhymes for wife

Browse Nearby Words

wiesenboden
wife
wife's equity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wife. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

wife

noun
ˈwīf How to pronounce wife (audio)
plural wives ˈwīvz How to pronounce wife (audio)
1
dialect : woman sense 1
2
: a female partner in a marriage

More from Merriam-Webster on wife

Nglish: Translation of wife for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wife

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All