Meanings
plural common-law marriages
- countableuncountableA state of marriage, or legal recognition similar to that of marriage, enjoyed by a couple who have not undergone an official marriage ceremony, but instead based on the duration of cohabitation or other practical characteristics of the relationship.
Synonyms: informal marriage, marriage by habit and repute, mop marriage
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA state of marriage, or legal recognition similar to that of marriage, enjoyed by a couple who have not undergone an official marriage ceremony, but instead based on the duration of cohabitation or other practical characteristics of the relationship.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 普通法婚姻, 事實婚姻 /事实婚姻
- 普通法婚姻 (pǔtōngfǎ hūnyīn)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- 事實婚姻 /事实婚姻 (shìshí hūnyīn)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- 事實婚 /事实婚 (shìshíhūn)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Dutch concubinaat
- concubinaata marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Finnish avoliitto
- avoliittoa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
French mariage de droit commun
- mariage de droit communa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
German eheähnliche Gemeinschaft, Ehe ohne Trauschein
- eheähnliche Gemeinschafta marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- Ehe ohne Trauscheina marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- Konsensehea marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- wilde Ehea marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Hungarian élettársi viszony/kapcsolat, együttélés
- élettársi viszony/kapcsolata marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- együttélésa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- vadházassága marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Japanese 事実婚
- 事実婚 (jijitsukon)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Korean 사실혼
- 사실혼 (sasilhon)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Norwegian Bokmål samboerskap, sambuerskap
- samboerskapa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- sambuerskapa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Polish niezalegalizowane małżeństwo
- niezalegalizowane małżeństwoa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Russian гражда́нский брак, сожи́тельство
- гражда́нский брак (graždánskij brak)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- сожи́тельство (sožítelʹstvo)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- факти́ческий брак (faktíčeskij brak)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- незарегистри́рованный брак (nezaregistrírovannyj brak)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
- неформа́льный брак (neformálʹnyj brak)a marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Spanish unión de hecho
- unión de hechoa marriage based on the duration of cohabitation rather than formal ceremony
Cite this entry
common-law marriage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common-law%20marriage
“common-law marriage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common-law%20marriage. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “common-law marriage,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common-law%20marriage.
Source: common-law marriage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.