Father-in-law Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms father-in-law American [fah-ther-in-law] / ˈfɑ ðər ɪnˌlɔ /

noun

plural

fathers-in-law

1. the father of one's spouse.

father-in-law British

noun

1. the father of one's wife or husband

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of father-in-law

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fader in lawe; father, in, law 1; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Police filed a criminal charge against the father-in-law, though it was later dismissed.

From BBC

"I have a Henry Moore, which I'm very proud of that Kirk, my father-in-law, gave Michael and I for one of our joint birthdays, and we love it very much."

From BBC

After talking with his soon-to-be father-in-law—a sheet-metal worker—he took the union tests for plumbing, elevator construction and electrical work.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It has become increasingly difficult to meet the price points expected by American buyers,” said Agnieszka Chmielewska, whose husband and father-in-law run the company.

From The Wall Street Journal

My late father-in-law wrote a book once called “Die Broke.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling
• uncle

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.