cohabit

IPA/kəʊˈhæbɪt/
KK[kohˈæbɪt]IPA/kəʊˈhæbɪt/

cohabit — verb

  • cohabitpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • cohabitshe / she / it
  • cohabitedpast simple
  • cohabiting-ing form

1. for two people in a romantic relationship to share one home as a couple, especia

1.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

for two people in a romantic relationship to share one home as a couple, especially without getting married

Example

After graduation, Mira and Ramón chose to cohabit in Taichung before planning a wedding.

cohabit before marriage

The lease allows only married tenants, so the couple cannot cohabit there legally.

formal or legal context for cohabit

Common collocations
  • cohabit with a partner
  • cohabit before marriage
  • cohabit for several years
  • unmarried couples cohabit
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • live apart

    describes partners who keep separate homes

  • split up

    focuses on ending the relationship rather than sharing a home

Grammar Patterns

two people cohabit

cohabit with + partner

cohabit before marriage

Usage Note

Common in legal, housing, and social-policy writing when a couple's marital status matters. In everyday conversation, people more often say live together.

Common Mistakes

Two software systems cohabit in the same office.
Two software systems coexist in the same office.
cohabit is used for romantic partners sharing a home, not for systems or companies.
Nila cohabits her boyfriend in Taoyuan.
Nila cohabits with her boyfriend in Taoyuan.' / ✅ 'Nila and her boyfriend cohabit in Taoyuan.
cohabit is intransitive, so the partner is not a direct object.

Word family

  • cohabitation
    nounC1
  • cohabitant
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Cohabit is the most formal of these expressions and usually appears in legal forms, housing rules, or social research. It normally refers to two people in a romantic relationship who live in the same home without being married. Live together is the everyday choice and sounds natural in ordinary conversation. Share a home is broader and can describe relatives, friends, or other people who live under one roof, so it does not automatically suggest a couple relationship. Be roommates focuses on shared living space for convenience and says nothing about romance. If a news report discusses unmarried partners and their legal status, cohabit is precise. If you are talking casually about your cousin and her boyfriend, live together is usually the safer choice.

cohabit ↗live together ↗share a homebe roommates

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cohabit before marriage
  • cohabit with a partner
  • unmarried couples cohabit

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Cohabit comes from Latin parts meaning together and live or dwell. English took it into formal use for people sharing one home, and it has kept a more legal or social-policy tone than the everyday phrase live together.