Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

alimony

noun al·i·mo·ny \ˈa-lə-ˌmō-nē\

: money that a court orders someone to pay regularly to a former wife or husband after a divorce

plural al·i·mo·nies

Full Definition of ALIMONY

1
:  an allowance made to one spouse by the other for support pending or after legal separation or divorce
2
:  the means of living :  maintenance
See alimony defined for English-language learners
See alimony defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of ALIMONY

Latin alimonia sustenance, from alere
First Known Use: 1656

Rhymes with ALIMONY

abalone, acrimony, agrimony, Albinoni, antimony, Berlusconi, cannelloni, ceremony, chalcedony, cicerone, hegemony, macaroni, matrimony, minestrone, Nakasone, one-trick pony, palimony, parsimony, patrimony, pepperoni, provolone, rigatoni, sanctimony, Shetland pony, testimony, zabaglione
ALIMONY Defined for Kids

alimony

noun al·i·mo·ny \ˈa-lə-ˌmō-nē\

Definition of ALIMONY for Kids

:  money for living expenses paid regularly by one spouse to another after their legal separation or divorce

Learn More About ALIMONY

Browse

4 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. alimony
  2. alimony pendente lite
  3. permanent alimony
  4. temporary alimony
Next Word in the Dictionary: alimony pendente litePrevious Word in the Dictionary: alimenterAll Words Near: alimony
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries