Meaning & use
spouse
A person's husband or wife, considered in relation to their partner in marriage.
See it in a sentence
Employees may add a spouse to their health insurance plan during open enrollment.
Both spouses signed the mortgage application together before closing on the house.
A note on using this word
Spouse is a gender-neutral, formal term commonly used in legal, medical, and official documents where 'husband' or 'wife' would be less precise.
Words with a similar meaning
husband or wifepartner
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
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