braid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to weave together strips or strands of; plait.
to braid the hair.
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to form by such weaving.
to braid a rope.
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to bind or confine (the hair) with a band, ribbon, etc.
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to trim with braid, as a garment.
noun
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a braided length or plait, especially of hair.
-
a hairstyle formed by interweaving three or more strands of hair.
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a narrow, ropelike band formed by plaiting or weaving together several strands of silk, cotton, or other material, used as trimming for garments, drapery, etc.
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a band, ribbon, etc., for binding or confining the hair.
verb
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to interweave several strands of (hair, thread, etc); plait
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to make by such weaving
to braid a rope
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to dress or bind (the hair) with a ribbon, etc
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to decorate with an ornamental trim or border
to braid a skirt
noun
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a length of hair, fabric, etc, that has been braided; plait
-
narrow ornamental tape of woven silk, wool, etc
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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braidsimple
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braidssimple
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have braidedperfect
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has braidedperfect
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am braidingprogressive
-
are braidingprogressive
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is braidingprogressive
-
have been braidingperfect progressive
-
has been braidingperfect progressive
Past
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braidedsimple
-
had braidedperfect
-
was braidingprogressive
-
were braidingprogressive
-
had been braidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of braid
First recorded before 950; Middle English braiden, breiden (verb), Old English bregdan “to move quickly, move to and fro, weave”; cognate with Old Norse bregtha, Dutch breien
Explanation
To braid is to lace or weave together. Hair that has been done this way is in braids. Have you ever seen someone with their hair bound together in thick, rope-like arrangements? That hairdo is called braids. Women often braid each other's hair or get it braided by a hairdresser. The longer your hair, the longer your potential braids. To braid hair, you have to weave the strands of hair together: this is also called plaiting, lacing, and interlacing. Other materials can be braided, but the most popular thing to braid is definitely hair.
Vocabulary lists containing braid
Shear Genius: Hairy Vocabulary
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List 1
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Buffalo Dreamer
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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.
See Examples For:
Those are the two pieces that braid together so nicely.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2026
Stores sell collectible figures titled “Influencer Trespassing on Private Road”: a woman with a long braid under a wide-brimmed hat, smartphone in hand, in front of a leafy landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
“On Rumi, the big purple braid was designed nine years ago when the character was first designed for a different project that my husband was creating,” said Kang.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025
"I call myself a braid baby because I've been braiding since I was 6 years old," she says, telling me how her family would bond over the skill as her mum proudly looks on.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025
She grabs her braid and twists its end in her hand.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Elsie, after weeks of conversational lulls, started using the phone daily to coordinate French braids with soccer teammates and inquire about practice times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
"When I've had my braids when I was younger, people would come up to me all the time and ask and I'd be writing the phone numbers down."
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
In New York, lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require manufacturers of synthetic braids and hair extensions to disclose all ingredients.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2026
Once Chantel returns home and finishes Sydney’s braids, T.J. sends the chef off with a tight embrace and the ultimate compliment.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2025
It moved the stray curls coming undone from Glory’s braids, the curtains, and the leafy plants decorating the wide living area.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Yurok Tribe construction and fisheries crews pulled up roughly 20 acres of thick asphalt, restored the channel to a mile-long braided waterway and built wetlands and two ponds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 24-year-old office worker found solace in "lompat karet" -- a game from infancy that involves jumping over a long rope made from braided elastic bands.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
When they exchange places, their trajectories become braided together through space and time.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
Today, she is a pop-culture icon whose indigenous fashion, famous unibrow and braided updos are as commercialized as her artistic output.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Luckily, it’s braided too tightly for the message to fall out.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
He glanced a moment at his mother, 60-year-old Bouthaina Warda, who was braiding his daughter’s hair, then turned to look at the coastal highway heading northward to Gaza City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025
A hair braiding shop is more than a salon, it’s a community center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
There’s a kind of dialectic, dual track of braiding of hope and futility that runs all the way through the book.
From Salon ● May 28, 2025
It was with my editor, Damian Rodriguez, a process of interweaving and braiding those three strands.
From Salon ● May 23, 2025
Kay is braiding Bernice’s hair, and Bernice is flinching, saying “ouch” every five seconds.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
