The meaning of WIFE is woman. How to use wife in a sentence.

The term wife is most commonly applied to a woman in a union sanctioned by law (including religious law), but not to a woman in an informal cohabitation relationship, which may be …

WIFE definition: 1. the woman that you are married to: 2. the woman that you are married to: 3. the woman to whom…. Learn more.

There are 15 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun wife, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Wife definition: A woman joined to another person in marriage; a female spouse.

a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in words that designate traditional roles or occupations of women: fishwife; goodwife; housewife; midwife.

a combining form of wife, now unproductive, occurring in compound words that in general designate traditional roles or occupations of women: fishwife; housewife; midwife.

WIFE definition: a married woman, especially when considered in relation to her partner in marriage. See examples of wife used in a sentence.

We met him and his wife. They were husband and wife [=a married couple] for almost 60 years.

Jan 2, 2026 · wife (plural wives) A married woman, especially in relation to her spouse. quotations The Fisherman and His Wife