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:
Two years later, he proposed, and a few months ago, we wed in Pasadena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
By the end of that year, associates said they recall seeing what looked like an engagement ring on Clark’s hand, and not long afterward, the couple wed in Italy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The event is always overseen by the Hisbah - the city's Islamic police force - and one of their main tasks is to vet the couples wanting to wed.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
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
“If we should wed by Westerosi rites ...” “The gods of Ghis would deem it no true union.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Fast friends, we’d hike nearly every weekend together.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
If you have worked in the world of defense budgeting, spending or contracting, we’d like to hear from you.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
"What was weird is obviously, they'd had to translate all these things that we'd grown up with, knowing Star Wars," Rhys recalled.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“We haven’t cracked the code on how to be successful to the level we’d like to in the wireless business,” Ergen said on an earnings call earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I thought if we had to take the time to sit down to dinner, we’d be too late to see the Case Special come in.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
“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
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 ● 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 ● 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
But “The Last Days of Roger Federer” weds this erudite treatment of “lateness” with the author’s own personal, far less theoretical approach to it.
From Los Angeles 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
Captain or not, Root is so often the man to steady England's batting, and he has said his team will not be wedded to a style of play.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“I’m not wedded to a high school player or a college player,” Mozeliak said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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
“But I’m wedded to my phone,” I told the Apple Genius Bar technician last month when she wanted to keep it for an iOS update overnight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 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
Currently, there are 370 seats available at maximum capacity—but that doesn’t include room for a dance floor, a critical component for a wedding or bar mitzvah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
He had never awarded full marks until revisiting one at St John The Baptist Church in Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, on his wedding day.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
As much as they enjoy betting on reality TV and Taylor Swift’s wedding, they also want help in saving, spending and investing their money.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
She has, however, sold two Samoyeds to Kyle and Kristin Juszczyk, the San Francisco 49ers fullback and sportswear designer, who attended Swift and Kelce’s wedding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
A little more than a year after their wedding, Alfred was attending the ill-fated Christmas party where Frank was killed.
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.
