Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary

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Prenuptial Agreement: An agreement made by a couple before marriage that controls certain aspects of their relationship, usually the management and ownership of property, and sometimes whether alimony will be paid if the couple later divorces. Courts usually honor premarital agreements unless one person shows that the agreement was likely to promote divorce, was written with the intention of divorcing, or was entered into unfairly. A prenuptial agreement may also be known as a premarital agreement, antenuptial agreement, or simply a "prenup," for short.