marry

[ mar-ee, mer-ee ]

/ ˈmær i, ˈmɛr i /

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See synonyms for: marry / married / marrying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mar·ried, mar·ry·ing.

to take in marriage: After being together for five years, I finally asked her to marry me.

to perform the marriage ceremonies for (two people); join in wedlock: The minister married Susan and Ed.

to give in marriage; arrange the marriage of (often followed by off): Her father wants to marry her to his friend's son.They want to marry off all their children before selling their big home.

to unite intimately: Common economic interests marry the two countries.

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

to combine, connect, or join so as to make more efficient, attractive, or profitable: The latest cameras marry automatic and manual features.A recent merger marries two of the nation's largest corporations.

Nautical.

to lay together (the unlaid strands of two ropes) to be spliced.
to seize (two ropes) together end to end for use as a single line.
to seize (parallel ropes) together at intervals.

to cause (food, liquor, etc.) to blend with other ingredients: to marry malt whiskey with grain whiskey.

verb (used without object), mar·ried, mar·ry·ing.

to wed.

(of two or more foods, wines, etc.) to combine suitably or agreeably; blend: This wine and the strong cheese just don't marry.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of marry

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)”

how to pronounce marry

See Mary.

OTHER WORDS FROM marry

mar·ri·er, nounnon·mar·ry·ing, adjectiveun·mar·ry·ing, adjective

Other definitions for marry (2 of 2)

marry²

[ mar-ee ]

/ ˈmær i /

interjection Archaic.

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

Origin of marry

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use marry in a sentence

Diana married Charles in 1981, and she first spoke about her eating disorder to biographer Andrew Morton in 1992.
What ‘The Crown’ got right in portraying Princess Diana’s bulimia: It let her voice be heard|Amanda Long|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
“Untamed,” by Glennon DoylePart memoir, part self-help book, Doyle uses her own past — how she divorced her husband to marry soccer star Abby Wambach — to make a case for being true to oneself.
50 notable works of nonfiction in 2020||November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Loder married Hedy Lamarr, celebrated at the time as the most beautiful woman in the world, who would be central to inventing the frequency-hopping spread spectrum, a technology used in legacy WiFi and Bluetooth today.
The Banned Irish Revolution Film Starring a Real Soldier|Fiona Zublin|November 16, 2020|Ozy
In May, she found out she was pregnant, about seven months after she married fellow “Idol” contestant Cade Foehner.
With streaming success and a debut hit, ‘American Idol’ finalist Gabby Barrett has become a country music anomaly|Emily Yahr|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

At some point his family went back to Mexico, where my grandfather grew up, got married and had kids.
The Myth of the Latino Vote and What Newsrooms Must Learn From 2020|by Perla Trevizo|November 10, 2020|ProPublica
Marrying another Jew was not just a personal simcha (joy), but one for the community.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Marrying yourself merely underscores selfishness and self-interest, rather than enabling you to live singly in the best way.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Japan, one woman said she liked the experience of marrying herself as an exercise in pampering.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marriage is a bond and a commitment—marrying yourself is ridiculous because you are already married to yourself.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“That meant I could never dream of having a good job, or of marrying someone who came from a good background,” Yeonmi says.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State|Lizzie Crocker|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It goes far to reconciling me to being a woman when I reflect that I am thus in no danger of ever marrying one.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
"Diggory Warrender, my dear, is no more thinking of marrying again than I am," said the vicar.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She loved him now; and she had promised to make up for the long grey years of the past by marrying him almost at once.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
By marrying a harlot, and by the names of his children, the prophet sets forth the crimes of Israel and their punishment.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
I should have taken out my revenge by marrying the first eligible man that offered himself.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for marry (1 of 2)

marry¹

/ (ˈmærɪ) /

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

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

(tr) to join or give in marriage

(tr) to acquire (something) by marriagemarry money

to unite closely or intimately

(tr sometimes foll by up) to fit together or align (two things); join

(tr) nautical

to match up (the strands) of unlaid ropes before splicing
to seize (two ropes) together at intervals along their lengths

Derived forms of marry

marrier, noun

Word Origin for marry

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

British Dictionary definitions for marry (2 of 2)

marry²

/ (ˈmærɪ) /

interjection

archaic an exclamation of surprise, anger, etc

Word Origin for marry

C14: euphemistic for the Virgin Mary

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

marry

Origin of marry

how to pronounce marry

OTHER WORDS FROM marry

Other definitions for marry (2 of 2)

Origin of marry

Words related to marry

How to use marry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for marry (1 of 2)

Derived forms of marry

Word Origin for marry

British Dictionary definitions for marry (2 of 2)

Word Origin for marry