war bride

American  

noun

1. a woman who marries a serviceman about to go overseas in wartime.

2. a woman who marries a foreign serviceman and goes to live in his country.

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war bride British  

noun

1. a soldier's bride met as a result of troop movements in wartime, esp a foreign national

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Etymology

Origin of war bride

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

A Frenchman in postwar Europe poses as a war bride to avoid the red tape involved in emigrating to the United States.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2020

Her mother was a war bride in Brooklyn, pregnant with her first child, to be named Angelina.

From Washington Times • Apr. 12, 2020

My grandmother was a war bride; she had found love during a time of conflict and followed her heart like a compass across the Atlantic in search of opportunity and a better life.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2016

Directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring John Ericson and Pier Angeli, “Teresa” told the story of an American G.I. who returns home with his Italian war bride, and his painful adjustment to civilian life.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2015

So, you see, I am no war bride.

From War Brides: A Play in One Act by Wentworth, Marion Craig