Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

dowry

American  
[dou-ree] / ˈdaʊ ri /
Also dowery

noun

plural

dowries

  1. Also the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

  2. Archaic. a widow's dower.

  3. a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.

dowry British  
/ ˈdaʊərɪ /

noun

  1. the money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

  2. (esp formerly) a gift made by a man to his bride or her parents

  3. Christianity a sum of money required on entering certain orders of nuns

  4. a natural talent or gift

  5. obsolete a widow's dower

"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
dowry Cultural  

  1. Money, property, or material goods that a bride's family gives to the bridegroom or his family at the time of the wedding. In many cultures, the dowry not only helps to cement the relationship between the bride's and groom's families but also serves to reinforce traditional family roles and gender roles.

Etymology

Origin of dowry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dowerie, from Anglo-French douarie, from Medieval Latin dōtārium. See dot 2, -ary

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.

Parents of girls are known to take out huge loans or even sell their land and house to meet dowry demands.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

Their helpline number, he says, receives about 86,000 calls every year and most cases are about matrimonial disputes that include false dowry cases and attempts at extortion.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

Budi, 55, sometimes receives 10% of the dowry for driving and interpreting.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

The man paid a dowry of about $850, and after the agent and the officiant took their cuts, she was left with about half that.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

Together we counted the gold, which amounted to little less than a princess's dowry.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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.