wed
verb (used with object)
to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
wed
1 American
[wed]
/ wɛd /
verb (used with object)
-
weds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wed,
past participle, past
-
wedded,
past participle, past
-
wedding
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
weds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wed,
past participle, past
-
wedded,
past participle, past
-
wedding
present participle
-
to contract marriage; marry.
-
to become united or to blend.
a building that will wed with the landscape.
we'd
2
American
[weed]
/ wid /
-
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.
Wed.
3
American
abbreviation
wed
1
British
/ wɛd /
verb
-
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
Wed.
2
British
abbreviation
we'd
3
British
/ wɪd, wiːd /
contraction
Usage
See contraction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wedsimple
-
wedssimple
-
have wedperfect
-
have weddedperfect
-
has wedperfect
-
has weddedperfect
-
am weddingprogressive
-
are weddingprogressive
-
is weddingprogressive
-
have been weddingperfect progressive
-
has been weddingperfect progressive
Past
-
wedsimple
-
weddedsimple
-
had wedperfect
-
had weddedperfect
-
was weddingprogressive
-
were weddingprogressive
-
had been weddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wed
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”
Explanation
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."
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.
See Examples For:
She recalled issuing a marriage license to a 16-year-old girl and man in his late teens or early 20s, and felt that the girl’s parents had forced them to wed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Few details from the ceremony have been shared publicly and Kelce's comments on Wednesday mark his first in-depth reflections he's shared since the couple were wed by comedic actor Adam Sandler.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Together they travelled to Guiyang - over 1000km away - and his son wed just seven days after he first met his bride in a "blind date" room.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
After a brief spell in a Parisian convent school—and several months spent nursing her paternal grandmother—Aurore was wed, at age 18, to Casimir Dudevant, a family friend nine years her senior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“She urges me to wed the noble Hizdahr zo Loraq.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
“If you’re planning an outdoor event and your tolerance for rain is very low, we’d encourage people to look into alternate plans,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
In a perfect world, yes, we’d have a VAT.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
If we'd won on penalties we would have taken it, of course, but it would only have covered over the cracks.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Our customers told us that comfort matters, which was why we'd been working on plans to improve seating on Thameslink services," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
I thought back to that moment when we’d sat together, looking at it.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“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
"All schools in Wetzel County will be closed on Wed. Feb. 28, 2018, due to the stars beginning to align," the district announced, cryptically, on the state department of education's website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 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
Wedding photographer Michael Carver had wanted to capture a picture of newly weds with the Northern Lights for the last 10 years.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2023
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
Of course, Alonso insists he won't be wedded to either of a back three or four but it was this system used as Chelsea beat AC Milan 3-0 a week ago.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While many of its venture capital peers have opted to spread their bets across both leading AI labs – OpenAI and Anthropic – Thrive is wedded to OpenAI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
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
And Aragorn the King Elessar wedded Arwen Undómiel in the City of the Kings upon the day of Midsummer, and the tale of their long waiting and labours was come to fulfilment.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
They soon moved to local churches and wedding halls, which had commercial kitchens available during the week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
I’m trying to eat more thoughtfully right now as I get ready for my wedding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Who would you trust to put you in your very precious wedding dress, that’s your vision for your wedding day?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Love them, hate them or barely know them, it's a colleague's birthday, wedding or leaving do and there's a collection to mark the occasion.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“She had the couple stand in the large hall while they were married and gave them a fine wedding supper. These two favorite servants were given a cabin near the house.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
