Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for bridesmaid. Search instead for Bridesmaid+Dresses.

bridesmaid

American  
[brahydz-meyd] / ˈbraɪdzˌmeɪd /

noun

  1. a young woman who attends the bride at a wedding ceremony.

  2. Informal. a person, group, etc., that is in a secondary position, never quite attains a goal, etc..

    Bridesmaids for 12 seasons, the Eagles finally won the championship.


bridesmaid British  
/ ˈbraɪdzˌmeɪd /

noun

  1. a girl or young unmarried woman who attends a bride at her wedding Compare matron of honour maid of honour

"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

Etymology

Origin of bridesmaid

First recorded in 1545–55; bride 1 + 's 1 + maid

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.

DeSorbo was a bridesmaid at Batula’s wedding and vocal from the get-go about her disdain for Cooke.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"My friends, my lovely, lovely blind girlfriends - nine of them - will be on the bridesmaid list," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

How much should I actually be helping plan a bachelorette party when I’m a bridesmaid — not the maid of honor?

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Do you know of any places where I could find a cute bridesmaid gown for under $100, or do you have any ideas on how I could cut the costs of attending this wedding?

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

My sister Adele was due to get married at the end of May, and I was going to be a bridesmaid.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "bridesmaid" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com