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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.

See Examples For:

That means even brides without massive social-media followings are promoting companies online in exchange for free booze, engagement party dresses and favors for bridesmaid goody bags.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

Liquid IV is paying for its packets to pop up inside bridesmaid goody bags.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 23, 2026

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

Aunt Ruth might have been the maid of honor, but Margot was a bridesmaid.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Holly's two sisters Tilly and Megan were bridesmaids along with Adam's sister Bethany.

From BBC Jun. 20, 2026

“We’re pulling the wine pinkish red color out of the bridesmaids dresses into my tie, and we’re incorporating it into the napkins.”

From The Wall Street Journal May 19, 2026

After three successive second-placed finishes in the Premier League and a host of semi-final defeats, reaching a final offers Arsenal a chance to prove they are more than perennial bridesmaids.

From Barron's Feb. 3, 2026

I’m helping plan a bachelorette party this spring, and I have a feeling one of the bridesmaids will drop out.

From MarketWatch Jan. 30, 2026

Before she left, were bridesmaids banished from church services because their dresses had spaghetti straps?

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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