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
Mark Bittman2
: 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
Tom LuteyCatfish farming has become the breadwinner industry for many families in west Alabama …—Robert Dewitt and Benita D. Newton
Robert Dewitt and Benita D. NewtonExamples of breadwinner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Related Articles In an interview with WWD in 2016, Leaf attributed her steely work ethic to her mother — the family breadwinner who wasn’t above hauling cases in her father-in-law’s tavern and liquor store.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 3 July 2024
The state privileges traditional nuclear families in which the father is the breadwinner and the mother is in charge of domestic activities and childrearing.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
Due to this tragic incident, fathers, sons, breadwinners, role models, husbands, and friends were all tragically lost.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Bah was the household breadwinner, while also sending money back to his wife and their three sons ages 5, 3 and 7 months.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 29 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breadwinner 
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 3 July 2024
The state privileges traditional nuclear families in which the father is the breadwinner and the mother is in charge of domestic activities and childrearing.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
Due to this tragic incident, fathers, sons, breadwinners, role models, husbands, and friends were all tragically lost.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Bah was the household breadwinner, while also sending money back to his wife and their three sons ages 5, 3 and 7 months.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 29 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for breadwinner
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“Breadwinner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breadwinner. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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breadwinner
noun
bread·win·ner
ˈbred-ˌwin-ər
: a person whose wages provide support for his or her family
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