surviving spouse

noun

A spouse that outlives the person to whom they are married, thereby obtaining legal rights with respect to the property of the deceased spouse.

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Meanings

nounsurviving spouse (plural surviving spouses)

plural surviving spouses

  1. lawA spouse that outlives the person to whom they are married, thereby obtaining legal rights with respect to the property of the deceased spouse.
  2. USeconomicsAn unmarried taxpayer whose spouse has been deceased for less than two taxable years, and who provides a home for one or more dependents of the deceased.
Cite this entry
APA

surviving spouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surviving%20spouse

MLA

“surviving spouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surviving%20spouse. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “surviving spouse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surviving%20spouse.

Source: surviving spouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.