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.
-
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
-
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:
From Ossoff, he learned how to braid in being an intellectual and polished orator, how debate-club tactics can work as long as you eschew the tie and show an inch of clavicle.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
Covered in tattoos, with his hair in a long braid, 35-year-old Australian DJ and former boy-band member Lenny Pearce looks more like an all-night raver than a children’s host.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
They dress up, braid their hair in a special way and are free to dance and play together outside, something which is traditionally frowned upon at other times of the year.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“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 bristled as she pulled my braid around and laid it on my chest.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
In the local hair salon, sporting a mane of thick pink braids, is Providence Maseko.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Approaching audience members to explore their own feelings about their hair, she receives with surprised saucer eyes encouragement to embrace the braids she has.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The entrepreneur, whose heritage is Persian, wore his hair in braids and a button-down Supreme shirt featuring Barack Obama.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 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
The only reason I thought she was a girl was because her voice was slightly higher and she had two long, tangled braids.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
They tend to be little, plump, tucked in, braided or rolled up; they have the proportions of toys.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
The few hundred in attendance spanned the full spectrum of AfD voters: young men in black bomber jackets and Lonsdale sweaters, elderly couples, barefooted hippies with braided beards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
When they exchange places, their trajectories become braided together through space and time.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 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
The taller of the two has long locs, while the stumpy one has cornrows with colorful threads braided into them.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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
To prepare for their roles, the actors took three braiding workshops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
Lives are altered as the salon workers go about their day braiding the hair of customers who range from docile and caring to feisty and acrimonious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
Visitors can learn about braiding styles and hair-care techniques passed down through generations.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025
I'd spent all morning braiding Maddy's hair the same way Ma used to braid mine when I was little.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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