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bridesmaid

American  
[brahydz-meyd] / ˈbraɪdzˌmeɪd /

noun

bridesmaids plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

Bridesmaid Mehrunissa Thomas says: "She had gone from just being a normal person and suddenly she was this celebrity."

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Bridesmaid + 1: To those who have grown weary of wedding questions, please note: This is not a wedding question.

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2022

Q. Bridesmaid vs. bridezilla: When a bride insists that her bridal party get their hair and makeup done professionally by a person of her choosing who charges Hollywood prices, who should pay?

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2017

So far, the Bridesmaid actress has stuck with long sleeves, but with the warmer weather, we'd love to see her pick something a little more flashy.

From Time • Feb. 18, 2012

Bridesmaid shrugs her shoulders, dashes up to the bride's room and dashes down again.

From Etiquette by Post, Emily

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