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. Newton breadwinning
ˈbred-ˌwi-niŋ
noun 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Government services in the area have largely ceased, and Natasha became the family’s main breadwinner when neighbors fled and left their house and dairy cows in her care. New York Times, 31 July 2022 Carrillo-Carrillo, who is normally the main breadwinner for their family, has been held at Otay Mesa Detention Center since December, though his immigration case has been pending for much longer. San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2022 Elvia Angulo, a housekeeper at the Oakland Marriott City Center for 17 years, is the main breadwinner in her family. Jennifer Sinco Kelleher And Anita Snow, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2022 Alfonce Nyamwaya, a close friend, told the Star that Nyabuto was the breadwinner for her family in Kenya. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2022 All of which means that caregivers are once again facing the impossible task of acting as parent, breadwinner, and teacher—all at once. Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 12 Sep. 2020 His pregnant wife, Heather (Dunham), only weeks from giving birth, is the family’s breadwinner and leaves the home every morning in a gust of stress and anxiety. Sarah-tai Black, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2022 When covid stole Fareeda Beharry from their lives, her family lost not only their matriarch and primary breadwinner but also their anchor. Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2022 The GoFundPage aims to raise $150,000 to help pay the medical bills of Ramirez and his son, and help support the family now that Cuevas is the only breadwinner left to support their family of 5. Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 18 July 2022 See More
New York Times, 31 July 2022 Carrillo-Carrillo, who is normally the main breadwinner for their family, has been held at Otay Mesa Detention Center since December, though his immigration case has been pending for much longer. San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2022 Elvia Angulo, a housekeeper at the Oakland Marriott City Center for 17 years, is the main breadwinner in her family. Jennifer Sinco Kelleher And Anita Snow, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2022 Alfonce Nyamwaya, a close friend, told the Star that Nyabuto was the breadwinner for her family in Kenya. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2022 All of which means that caregivers are once again facing the impossible task of acting as parent, breadwinner, and teacher—all at once. Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 12 Sep. 2020 His pregnant wife, Heather (Dunham), only weeks from giving birth, is the family’s breadwinner and leaves the home every morning in a gust of stress and anxiety. Sarah-tai Black, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2022 When covid stole Fareeda Beharry from their lives, her family lost not only their matriarch and primary breadwinner but also their anchor. Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2022 The GoFundPage aims to raise $150,000 to help pay the medical bills of Ramirez and his son, and help support the family now that Cuevas is the only breadwinner left to support their family of 5. Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 18 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2