wedding ring

American

noun

a ring, usually of gold, platinum, or silver, given by one partner to the other during a marriage ceremony.

wedding ring British

noun

a band ring with parallel sides, typically of precious metal, worn to indicate married status

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wedding ring

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

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.

The police, ambulance, fire department, cyclone-warning system and, of course, Zoël Manguillier, the guy to call when the groom drops his wedding ring in the Indian Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

But interspersed throughout A House of Dynamite are small moments that remind us of the stakes: a close-up on a character’s wedding ring, bustling D.C. streets, children playing.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Then we see Alma’s hands and wedding ring — the bedrock of her life — as she replies, “You can do whatever you like, Maggie.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

She is so busy scrubbing coffee cups and baby butts that she forgets that most precious piece of metal, her wedding ring.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025

It had a gold wedding ring and tufts of blondish hair.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023