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
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
I had been to Wembley before as a Toon player and I had been there before as a Toon fan, and we'd all had the same feeling of walking away empty-handed.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
"We have a lot of ammunition, different types," Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One, while adding: "For some of the more sophisticated stuff, we'd certainly like to have more."
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
We went around the long dinner table, illuminated by a fireplace, and read what we’d scribbled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“It hasn’t been as consistent or as fast as we’d like, but he’s still going through it. He’s still working hard.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
‘How did they know we’d come this way? Did you leave them some kind of trail?’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
“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
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
Throughout “Saxophone Colossus,” he weds his extensive research to a feel for detail and narrative; the book is certainly long, but it has too much great reporting to be dry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
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
“Claudius not only wears my father's crown, but he weds my father's wife!” he said in a tone of disbelief.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
“I’m not wedded to a high school player or a college player,” Mozeliak said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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
She seems wedded to a head-in-the-sand approach, recently telling WHYY’s Cheri Gregg that she prefers to avoid confrontation with the president “to protect my city of Philadelphia.”
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
She felt veiled in cobwebs, a woman wedded to her family.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Younger fans may remember him playing himself in “Ted,” conducting the wedding ceremony and doing the “Flash” jump at the end of the movie.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
An attendee at one black-tie wedding wore a white dress that was practically see-through.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
“The Drama” has Robert Pattinson and Zendaya spiraling right before a wedding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Johnson managed to cover his wedding booking on Saturday, praising his "amazing assistant" James Musselwhite for driving from Portsmouth to help him out.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
So, the night before the wedding, the girl had crept out of bed carefully, holding her breath as she crossed the creaking floorboards.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
