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]
/ 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:
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 ● Sep. 7, 2026
Just days after Kelce and Swift wed, it was revealed that the pup had become such a key part of their lives that it even played a role in their wedding celebrations.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
The couple wed in 2018 and stepped away from their senior-royal duties in 2020 to head west in an unprecedented move.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 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
Her father had made this trunk for her mother almost a century before, a bride-gift when they were wed.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
If we weren’t in school, we would drive up Santa Monica Boulevard into Hollywood and we’d stand around and watch them produce the radio mysteries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
"We knew it was a news chopper. We knew we'd lost contact with our people out there, and we've just received confirmation," Williams said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
"What was weird is obviously, they'd had to translate all these things that we'd grown up with, knowing Star Wars," Rhys said.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“It was obvious quite a while ago that we’d end up here,” said Bondar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
It was a wonder we’d never crossed paths with Ethan, especially if he visited Sandy June’s as regularly as he claimed.
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 ● 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
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
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
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 ● Sep. 16, 2026
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
When she finished her speech, Justice Strauss turned to Count Olaf and asked, “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
"It did cause a lot of stress in the lead up to the wedding," she remembers.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
In another study from the institute, 57% of respondents said they would decline a wedding invitation from a close friend or relative for budgetary reasons, a 3% increase from 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Sarah’s parents are celebrating their wedding anniversary, and they’re taking the whole clan on a celebratory safari.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The couple met in college and dated for three years before getting engaged on a cliff in Ibiza, Spain, according to the couple’s wedding website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
She thought it looked more like a tiered wedding cake than an actual place where one could visit.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
