Spouse: meaning, definitions and examples

Use 'spouse' when you want to refer to someone's husband or wife in a formal or neutral way, without specifying gender.

• Please bring your spouse to the company dinner.
• Spouses are also invited to the event.

Use 'partner' when you want to refer to someone's significant other in a way that is gender-neutral and can apply to both married and unmarried relationships.

• She brought her partner to the wedding.
• His partner is very supportive of his career.

Use 'husband' to specifically refer to a married man in a relationship.

• She introduced her husband at the party.
• Her husband works as a lawyer.

Use 'wife' to specifically refer to a married woman in a relationship.

• His wife is a talented artist.
• She has been a wonderful wife for twenty years.

Use 'mate' to refer to a partner in a casual or informal way, more commonly used in British English. It can also imply a close friend and is less formal than 'spouse' or 'partner'.

• We'll be meeting my mate at the pub later.
• His mate helped him through a tough time.