wed
verb (used with object)
to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
Trivia Time
Where did Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer wed in 1981?
wed
1 American
[wed]
/ wษd /
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
/ wษd /
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
/ wษชd, wiหd /
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 โto pledge, marry, get marriedโ; cognate with German wetten โto bet,โ Old Norse vethja โto pledgeโ
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 โ 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:
The problem is, the brand—and, to some extent, its management—is wed to a specific kind of go power: the charismatic flat-four engine and mechanically linked all-wheel drive.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Sep. 19, 2026
The A-list couple joined a long line of celebrities who have wed in New York City, where Swift has owned property for more than a decade.
From MarketWatch โ Sep. 7, 2026
But in 2000, aged 66, she wed David Bale, a South African-born entrepreneur-environmentalist, and father of actor Christian Bale.
From BBC โ Sep. 3, 2026
While he is still yet to wed, Malone is already celebrating a milestone anniversary.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 20, 2026
All the fight went out of him when he heard that his queen had wed, Tyrion realized.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
“We are. But we’d much rather get the deal done and then manage that accordingly.”
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 4, 2026
Early in our reporting in Arkansas, we tried to figure out what steps we’d need to take to make a private school.
From Salon โ Oct. 4, 2026
Here are some of the connections we've found - if you spot any more, we'd love to know.
From BBC โ Oct. 4, 2026
“We knew he’d get his catches. That’s inevitable — the kid’s a baller. But we knew if we could contain him, rally and tackle, we’d be in a good position.”
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 3, 2026
Like the talk we’d have would really be as simple as a catchup.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“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 โ 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 โ 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 โ Mar. 2, 2018
Film work, however illustrious, was almost an adjunct to the career and legacy of Ruby Dee, who died Wed. at 91 at her New Rochelle, N.Y., home.
From Time โ Jun. 12, 2014
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 โ 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 โ 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 โ Sep. 4, 2022
Jules’s new moped doubles as a genre-movie gimmick that weds classicism and modernity.
From New York Times โ 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
Cheetah Chrome’s trashy, thrashy playing in Dead Boys wedded the urgency of punk with devotion to older, sleazy rock ‘n’ roll.
From Los Angeles Times โ Sep. 28, 2026
They are unique in that they earn on average more than four times the average worker, but they have little control over the management of the company they have wedded themselves to, often for life.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Sep. 16, 2026
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 โ Aug. 15, 2026
“I’m not wedded to a high school player or a college player,” Mozeliak said.
From Los Angeles Times โ Jul. 6, 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
Flatley shared photos from one of his wife’s performances, from their wedding and a family photo with their son.
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 6, 2026
Both were broke, and she told the Charlotte Observer she had to borrow a wedding gown when they married in 1988.
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 6, 2026
Grant was pictured leaving Hall's wedding to Rupert Murdoch in 2016; in 2003, they were pictured together at Chelsea Flower Show, and they also acted in children's film Tooth back in 2004.
From BBC โ Oct. 4, 2026
The firm focused on making jewelry for everyday wear—often at price points below $300—rather than big-ticket wedding and anniversary gifts.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 4, 2026
Articles about her wedding ran in newspapers from Rhode Island to Wisconsin, Vermont to Mississippi, and almost every state in-between.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
