What does spouses mean?
Spouses is the plural of spouse and means married people, particularly each person viewed in relation to the other. It is a neutral term that can refer to husbands and wives, same-sex married partners, or a married couple without identifying the gender of either person. The word is widely used in everyday conversation, news, law, and workplace policies, including expressions such as former spouses, divorced spouses, and spouses and children. Unlike “husbands and wives,” “spouses” does not divide marriage into gendered categories, making it useful when gender is irrelevant or when inclusive language is preferred. The related singular “spouse” is also gender-neutral, while the adjective “spousal” appears in formal terms such as “spousal support” and “spousal separation.”
nounMarried people, especially each considered in relation to the other; the plural form of spouse. The term is gender-neutral and can refer jointly to husbands and wives or to same-sex married partners.
- Married people, especially each considered in relation to the other.
"The couple invited their spouses and children to the celebration."
"Many spouses work together to manage the family business."
"The policy provides benefits for spouses and their dependent children."
The regular plural of spouse, used for two or more married people.
"They invited their spouses to the wedding anniversary party."
Spouses is a naturally gender-neutral way to name married people without splitting them into husbands and wives.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of spouses
The word spouse comes ultimately from Latin sponsus, a past participle meaning betrothed or pledged, related to spondere, “to pledge.” The word entered English in the late Middle English period and originally referred to a person joined in marriage. Modern forms such as spousal and spouseless continue the same lexical root, while sponsor, sponsorship, and sponsorial come through a related Latin stem based on the idea of pledging or standing surety.
Related word forms
How spouses is actually used
Spouses is a standard, gender-neutral plural form of spouse. It is common in formal, legal, and administrative contexts as well as in everyday speech, while husbands and wives is more specific and can imply a man and a woman.
Easily confused with spouses
Spouse is the singular form, while spouses is the regular plural used for two or more married people.