Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

dowry

American  
[dou-ree] / ˈdaʊ ri /
Also dowery

noun

plural

dowries

  1. Also the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

  2. Archaic. a widow's dower.

  3. a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.

dowry British  
/ ˈdaʊərɪ /

noun

  1. the money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

  2. (esp formerly) a gift made by a man to his bride or her parents

  3. Christianity a sum of money required on entering certain orders of nuns

  4. a natural talent or gift

  5. obsolete a widow's dower

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dowry Cultural  

  1. Money, property, or material goods that a bride's family gives to the bridegroom or his family at the time of the wedding. In many cultures, the dowry not only helps to cement the relationship between the bride's and groom's families but also serves to reinforce traditional family roles and gender roles.

Etymology

Origin of dowry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot 2, -ary

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.

If she can collect the dowry from Charlie, she and Stanley can sail to Australia to escape the police and live happily ever after Down Under.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

But the young man said he was grateful that since he began mining five years ago, he has been able to save a little money for a dowry and is now married with children.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

"So many of my friends have had to leave school, or never been to school because someone paid a dowry to marry them, so their fathers had married them off," she says.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2025

The man paid a dowry of about $850, and after the agent and the officiant took their cuts, she was left with about half that.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

“Shaukat's daughter. This weekend. Borrowed some money for her dowry, even though it’ll still be a modest one, given their financial circumstances. Your family never mentioned it?”

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

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.