sons-in-law
Definition
- Noun (plural form):
- Male spouses of one's children: "sons-in-law" refers to the men married to one's daughters. It is the plural of "son-in-law," meaning more than one such male relative.
Usage Examples
- (I have two men married to my daughters.)
- (The husbands of our daughters assisted us.)
- (She invited the men married to her daughters.)
Advanced Usage
"to gain sons-in-law": to acquire male relatives through the marriages of one's daughters.
- After the weddings, the family gained two new sons-in-law. (The family added two new male members through marriage.)
"to treat sons-in-law as sons": to welcome and care for sons-in-law as if they were one's own children.
- He always treats his sons-in-law as sons, not as outsiders. (He shows them the same affection as his biological children.)
Variants and Related Words
Son-in-law (singular noun): the male spouse of one's daughter.
- Her son-in-law is a doctor. (The man married to her daughter is a doctor.)
Daughters-in-law (plural noun): the female spouses of one's sons.
- She has three daughters-in-law from her sons' marriages. (She has three women married to her sons.)
In-laws (plural noun): relatives by marriage, including sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and others.
- We are visiting the in-laws this weekend. (We are visiting relatives by marriage.)
Synonyms
- Male relatives by marriage: a general term for men connected through marriage.
- Married-in sons: a less common but descriptive phrase for sons-in-law.
Related Idioms
"To be a good son-in-law": to act in a respectful, helpful, or affectionate manner toward one's spouse's parents.
- He is a good son-in-law; he always calls his wife's parents on their anniversary. (He behaves kindly and respectfully toward his in-laws.)
"To have sons-in-law like sons": to feel that one's sons-in-law are as close as biological sons.
- She has sons-in-law like sons; they treat her with great care. (The men married to her daughters are very loving and supportive.)