- present participle of wed.
wedding
Americannoun
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weddings
plural
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the anniversary of a marriage, or its celebration.
They invited guests to their silver wedding.
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the act or an instance of blending or joining, especially opposite or contrasting elements.
a perfect wedding of conservatism and liberalism.
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Business Slang. a merger.
adjective
noun
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the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage
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( as modifier )
wedding day
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the anniversary of a marriage (in such combinations as silver wedding or diamond wedding )
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the combination or blending of two separate elements
Synonym Usage
See marriage.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wedding
First recorded before 900; Middle English “matrimony, wedlock, marriage,” Old English weddung “betrothal”; see origin at wed, -ing 1
Explanation
A wedding is a celebration or ceremony of marriage. Besides being a formal way to mark the union of two people, weddings can be a lot of fun too. The earliest meaning of wedding was simply "the state of being married," but by the early 1400s it meant the ceremony or rite at the very beginning of a marriage. A wedding can be a simple civil ceremony at City Hall or an elaborate event that takes place over several days and involves religious rituals, food and drink, and hundreds of guests. As an adjective, wedding describes anything related to the ceremony, like wedding cakes and wedding dresses.
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:
Gina also bought a range of other wedding dresses for her wedding-themed hen do.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
A couple tied the knot in a thrifty-themed wedding with the bride dazzling in a £2 charity shop wedding dress.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"If he comes out alive, the wedding will take place afterwards," his father told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“We figured we couldn’t have a big wedding and buy a house,” said Tyrell, 37, who used the savings to help buy a home in Sacramento with her husband, also 37.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“A palace wedding for a bride far from royal?”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
After more weddings the next day, singer Ally Evenson took a stage within earshot of the floral arch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mala Wangzi has opened pop-up museums around the country, held more than 4,000 latiao-themed weddings for superfan couples, and sponsored e-sport events, music festivals, and animation conventions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“We locked eyes, and we’ve been close friends ever since, danced at each other’s weddings, held each other’s babies,” says Winograde, speaking via videoconference from Rovner’s Encino home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
"The weather isn't necessarily driving people out of summer weddings, but the weather will drive people out of venues that aren't equipped on an unpleasantly warm day."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
At weddings, he danced with his arms spread wide like he was going to embrace the whole party.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
