braid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
braids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
braided,
past participle, past
-
braiding
present participle
-
to weave together strips or strands of; plait.
to braid the hair.
-
to form by such weaving.
to braid a rope.
-
to bind or confine (the hair) with a band, ribbon, etc.
-
to trim with braid, as a garment.
noun
-
braids
plural
-
a braided length or plait, especially of hair.
-
a hairstyle formed by interweaving three or more strands of hair.
-
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.
-
a band, ribbon, etc., for binding or confining the hair.
verb
-
to interweave several strands of (hair, thread, etc); plait
-
to make by such weaving
to braid a rope
-
to dress or bind (the hair) with a ribbon, etc
-
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
-
braidsimple
-
braidssimple
-
have braidedperfect
-
has braidedperfect
-
am braidingprogressive
-
are braidingprogressive
-
is braidingprogressive
-
have been braidingperfect progressive
-
has been braidingperfect progressive
Past
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Buffalo Dreamer
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
Those are the two pieces that braid together so nicely.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2026
"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
Now he is raising a 4-year-old daughter with the help of Barnica’s younger brother; every weekend, they take her to see her grandmother, who knows how to braid her hair in pigtails.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024
Pond was growing weaker with each passing day, and he only had one more braid of sweetgrass to help with the radiation poisoning.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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
"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
Cecily grinned and tossed her braids from side to side.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
They walk the streets pomaded, braided, wearing strangely arranged hairdos meant to call attention to themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Another young migrant, 18-year-old Matar Top, who has braided hair, arrived from Senegal three years ago with similar hopes of sending money home.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
When they exchange places, their trajectories become braided together through space and time.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
The teen is wearing black glasses and braided hair styled in a bun with blue highlights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
There were four families in the camp, but most of the older warriors were back at the village seeing their girlfriends and getting their hair braided.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
“I’ll do a long twist of lemon, lime and either orange or grapefruit and braid them together, like you’re braiding hair,” Caporale says.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
Jocelyn Bioh’s high-spirited ensemble comedy, vibrantly directed by Whitney White, took us inside the lives of the African immigrant women who work at a Harlem braiding salon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
To prepare for their roles, the actors took three braiding workshops.
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
Teresa and Marie sat on Carmen’s bed, braiding her hair over and over.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
