common-law marriage
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many people wrongly believe co-habiting couples have automatic legal and inheritance rights under "common-law marriage", says Alastair Sinclair, family lawyer at Setfords.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
No, because the federal government does not recognize common-law marriage either.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2022
Balandina and Vasyliv are a longtime couple with two children who had already had a common-law marriage before Monday’s civil ceremony at the Lviv Surgery Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2022
Lawmakers here are considering a bill that would dub the ukulele the official state instrument, a designation that seems in some ways like a formal ceremony for a common-law marriage.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2014
The "common-law" marriage, by the way, is not, so far as I can determine, the English common law, nor ever was.
From Popular Law-making by Frederic Jesup Stimson
