to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
to unite (a couple) in marriage or wedlock; marry.
to bind by close or lasting ties; attach firmly.
She wedded herself to the cause of economic justice.
to blend together or unite inseparably.
a novel that weds style and content perfectly.
to contract marriage; marry.
to become united or to blend.
a building that will wed with the landscape.
contraction of we had:
Sometimes I wish we'd bought a bigger house.
contraction of we would:
Of course we'd be happy to donate to the school's fundraiser.
to take (a person of the opposite sex) as a husband or wife; marry
(tr) to join (two people) in matrimony
(tr) to unite closely
See contraction.
First recorded before 900; Middle English wedde, Old English weddian “to pledge, marry, get married”; cognate with German wetten “to bet,” Old Norse vethja “to pledge”
To wed is to get married to someone. Your dream might be to wed your dream spouse in Hawaii some day. The verb wed is mainly used in a formal context — marry is more common. You can also use either word to mean "join in marriage" or "perform a marriage ceremony," like when the Archbishop of Canterbury weds members of British royalty. Wed shares a Germanic root with words in various languages meaning "pledge," but also "bet or wager."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pair were wed in Seoul's presidential Blue House when her father Roh Tae-woo led the country from 1988 to 1993.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The couple wed on Aug. 14, 2014, nine years after they met while filming their movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
After meeting in high school, they wed for the first time in the 1950s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Initially, Joe and Angela don’t look so different from the pictures of couples we’ve seen before: harried and married, dead when they wed.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
He thinks of his parents, strangers until this moment, two people who had not spoken until after they were actually wed.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Tell us tomorrow that Canada is a threat and we’d laugh—we know Canada, we’ve stood in it, we can see the faces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
We always stayed in touch, almost every week or so and we'd usually talk about our ailments and then about what we'd been doing that particular week.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Some songs just have it. If we knew what it was, we'd all be singing them!" she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
A year earlier we’d both lost our beloved, vibrant spouses to cancer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
“We have too much history. Too much everything. And we’re fourteen! It’s not like there’s any way we’d last.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“The US Supreme Court began hearing the Brunson case yesterday Wed. 21 June, continued today 22 June and should have a decision out by Saturday 24 June,” an Instagram post states.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
Intended to cure loneliness on Wed. evenings and to allow people to get to know each other under circumstances other than formal MFU course.
From Salon ● May 12, 2019
Closed Wed. $10-$25; members and children 17 and under, free.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2018
Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Wed. through June 25, various times and prices.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2016
Viewing will be at Snowberger’s at 7pm on Wed. evening, and visitation will be at 2pm before the funeral at 3pm on Thurs.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Sophie Piper, who came third on their All Star season, and TikTok star GK Barry also shared their support with the newly weds.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
While Dbeibah has sought to consolidate his position with new roads, better power supplies or social benefits such as payouts to newly weds, faction leaders have complained about corruption in state spending.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 2023
Martin's "Fire & Blood," Alicent is 18 when she weds the 27-year-old Viserys, while Rhaenyra is only 9.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2022
Jules’s new moped doubles as a genre-movie gimmick that weds classicism and modernity.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
“Yes, is she not lovely, though so sad! Her dress is well chosen, too, for in a week she weds Count Antonio, whom she passionately hates.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Yes, he was so wedded to it, this idea that different, new mediums liberate the ones that come before.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Based on Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola’s 2021 “The Trip,” “Over Your Dead Body” concerns a couple whose wedded bliss has faded along with their professional prospects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
They are, Mr. Wooldridge writes, wedded to three adamant ideas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Speaking in an interview following the results, CEO Lawrie Conway said Evolution isn’t wedded to paying out 50% at the end of each half.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
And yet, away from public view, one of the largest concentrations of professional female mathematicians in the United States stayed on the job, their identities wedded to their professions.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Roberts shared a glimpse into the planning of her wedding look with Vogue, who captured designer Monique Lhuillier discussing the concept of the dress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The Drama” has Robert Pattinson and Zendaya spiraling right before a wedding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
His wife, Linsey Devey, shared on Instagram that the couple was a few days shy of their 15th wedding anniversary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The day Sam and Courtney Scholey became husband and wife didn't feel like their wedding day.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Then, at last, it was Maggie’s wedding day.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
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.
