braid
Americanverb (used with object)
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braids,
present (3rd person singular)
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braided,
past participle, past
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braiding
present participle
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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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braids
plural
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a braided length or plait, especially of hair.
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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
-
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
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are braidingprogressive
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is braidingprogressive
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have been braidingperfect progressive
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has been braidingperfect progressive
Past
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braidedsimple
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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:
Even if they started out reticent, the fathers became active participants, asking questions about creating a neat French braid, what to do about tangled ponytails and how to deal with frightened children, Lin said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Poised on a colorful, carpeted platform in a gleaming leotard, with a hefty brown braid of hair falling over one shoulder, Folan would spend her program reaching, bending, breathing and twisting her limbs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Or made by the woman in your apartment building who has both a co-op volunteering shift and a single, long gray braid.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
Those are the two pieces that braid together so nicely.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2026
She spins the end of her French braid around a finger.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
In the local hair salon, sporting a mane of thick pink braids, is Providence Maseko.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Ms. Luiselli often braids together fact, fiction, photographs, literary references and even recorded “soundscapes” to tell stories about vulnerable people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
At the national level, the Safer Beauty Bill Package, introduced in Congress last year, contains provisions that would direct the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the safety of synthetic braids and hair extensions.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2026
Her dark hair was in long, thin braids and framed her friendly face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
Roots stuck out from the ceiling in tangled braids.
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 wider public discovered Monroe, sporting long braided hair, in a TV talent show dedicated to young classical music virtuosos.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Like many Jews, Wagner prepares for Shabbat by going to buy a challah, a braided bread, from a kosher bakery.
From BBC ● May 2, 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
When I get back, she’ll have braided flowers together so we can have matching flower necklaces or crowns.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
With a few snips of her scissors, a plain whiteboard rag transforms into three strips of cloth perfect for braiding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Deep in a braiding craze, the children can’t resist braiding everything in sight: hair, shoelaces, even the tails of the classroom’s toy ponies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
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
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
I was at home braiding the bristles on my whisk broom when the museum called, inviting me to participate in their new "Month of Sundays" performance-art festival.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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