From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwifewife /waɪf/ ●●● S1 W1 noun (plural wives /waɪvz/) [countable] MARRYWOMANthe woman that a man is married to → husband, spouse Have you met my wife? a refuge for battered wives his second wifeex-wife/former wife He threatened to kill his ex-wife’s boyfriend.► see thesaurus at married
Examples from the Corpus
wife• He remarried after his first wife died of cancer.• His death came on Christmas Day, 1875, three months after his wife, Margaret, and baby died in childbirth.• Brown looked at a photograph of his wife on his desk.• One year he arrived with a young lady, then came back when she was his wife.• Have you met my wife, Doris?• My wife's career is very important to her.• Have you met the Ambassador's wife?• Men who want their wives at home.• How is it you were able to get your wife out?Origin wife Old English wif “woman, wife” 