marry

¹

[mar-ee, mer-ee]

verb (used with object)

married, marrying 

1. to take in marriage.

   After being together for five years, I finally asked her to marry me.

2. to perform the marriage ceremonies for (two people); join in wedlock.

   The minister married Susan and Ed.

3. to give in marriage; arrange the marriage of (often followed byoff ): They want to marry off all their children before selling their big home.

   Her father wants to marry her to his friend's son.

   They want to marry off all their children before selling their big home.

4. to unite intimately.

   Common economic interests marry the two countries.

5. to take as an intimate life partner by a formal exchange of promises in the manner of a traditional marriage ceremony.

6. to combine, connect, or join so as to make more efficient, attractive, or profitable: A recent merger marries two of the nation's largest corporations.

   The latest cameras marry automatic and manual features.

   A recent merger marries two of the nation's largest corporations.

7. Nautical.

   1. to lay together (the unlaid strands of two ropes) to be spliced.

   2. to seize (two ropes) together end to end for use as a single line.

   3. to seize (parallel ropes) together at intervals.

8. to cause (food, liquor, etc.) to blend with other ingredients.

   to marry malt whiskey with grain whiskey.

verb (used without object)

married, marrying 

1. to wed.

2. (of two or more foods, wines, etc.) to combine suitably or agreeably; blend.

   This wine and the strong cheese just don't marry.

marry

²

[mar-ee]

interjection

Archaic.

1. (used as an exclamation of surprise, astonishment, etc.)

marry

¹

/ ˈmærɪ /

verb

1. to take (someone as one's partner) in marriage

2. (tr) to join or give in marriage

3. (tr) to acquire (something) by marriage

   marry money

4. to unite closely or intimately

5. to fit together or align (two things); join

6. (tr) nautical

   1. to match up (the strands) of unlaid ropes before splicing

   2. to seize (two ropes) together at intervals along their lengths

marry

²

/ ˈmærɪ /

interjection

1. archaic,  an exclamation of surprise, anger, etc

Pronunciation Note

See Mary.

Other Word Forms

• marrier noun
• nonmarrying adjective
• unmarrying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of marry¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English marien, from Old French marier, from Latin marītāre “to wed,” derivative of marītus “conjugal,” akin to mās “male (person)”

Origin of marry²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English Mari(e), marie, mare , euphemistic variant of Mary (the Virgin)

Word History and Origins

Origin of marry¹

C13: from Old French marier, from Latin marītāre, from marītus married (man), perhaps from mās male

Origin of marry²

C14: euphemistic for the Virgin Mary

Example Sentences

Welty never married, and she declared that she’d come from “a sheltered life.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Joan’s decision should conceivably be easy; obviously, you’d choose to spend eternity with the person you were married to for six decades as opposed to someone you were married to for a blip.

Read more on Salon

He’s startled to learn that his 57-year-old father is marrying Robin’s 30-year-old sister, having made the assumption that Robin’s mother was the bride-to-be.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One reason families start to disclose wealth to children is they suspect one of them might be on track to get married.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Another possibility is that Indigenous women who married incoming settlers helped maintain knowledge about which crops to plant and how to cultivate them.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• join 
• wed