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Synonyms

bride

1 American  
[brahyd] / braɪd /

noun

  1. a newly married woman or a woman about to be married.

bride 2 American  
[brahyd, breed] / braɪd, brid /

noun

  1. Also called bar, leg, tie.  a connection consisting of a thread or a number of threads for joining various solid parts of a design in needlepoint lace.

  2. an ornamental bonnet string.

Bride 3 American  
[brahyd] / braɪd /

noun

  1. Saint. Brigid, Saint.

Bride 1 British  
/ braɪd /

noun

  1. See Bridget

"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
bride 2 British  
/ braɪd /

noun

  1. a woman who has just been or is about to be married

"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
bride 3 British  
/ braɪd /

noun

  1. Also called: bar.  lacemaking needlework a thread or loop that joins parts of a pattern

"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
bride Idioms  

  1. see give away (the bride).

Other Word Forms

  • brideless adjective
  • bridelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of bride1

before 1000; Middle English; Old English brȳd; cognate with Dutch bruid, German Braut, Old Norse brūthr, Gothic brūths

Origin of bride2

1865–70; < French: bonnet-string, bridle, Old French < Germanic; bridle

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.

When David refuses, insisting on marrying his true love, the king demands a disgusting bride price.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

With $9.1 million, fourth place went to Searchlight's "Ready or Not 2," a follow-up to the 2019 original comedy horror in which a bride must survive a deadly game of hide-and-seek with her new in-laws.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

On rare occasions, Sabbath playmates eventually become bride and groom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

The DJ said this led to the bride running out of the room in tears.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

I wondered if an old man who just buried his wife would take his bride on a wedding trip.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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.