breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwi-nər 

plural breadwinners

1

: a member of a family whose wages supply the family's principal or only means of support

the main/primary/sole breadwinner in the family

… many more households have two breadwinners, making it unlikely that there will be someone home all afternoon to cook.

—Mark Bittman

2

: a means (such as a tool, craft, or activity) of livelihood : a way of earning income

Crop diversity kept the overall value of Montana agriculture strong even as wheat, the state agriculture's breadwinner, faltered.

—Tom Lutey

Catfish farming has become the breadwinner industry for many families in west Alabama …

—Robert Dewitt and Benita D. Newton

breadwinning

ˈbred-ˌwi-niŋ 

noun

Examples of breadwinner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This move aligned with what many US families looked like thirty years ago, where in married, heterosexual households, a male partner was generally the breadwinner. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Oct. 2024

Women mediums traveled around the country, often as breadwinners, performing for mixed audiences in massive auditoriums. —Marissa C. Rhodes / Made By History, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024

As the eldest child, young Maria has no choice but to take over the childcare duties of her four younger siblings as her mother desperately tries to earn a living while simultaneously doing everything in her power to attract a new breadwinner for her family. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024

Historically, households have been understood as gendered spaces where women are expected to care for the food and family and men are expected to be the earners and breadwinners. —Sara Radin, Architectural Digest, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

breadwinner

noun

bread·​win·​ner ˈbred-ˌwin-ər 

: a person whose wages provide support for his or her family