best man

noun

: the principal groomsman at a wedding

Examples of best man in a Sentence

The groom asked his brother to be his best man and the bride asked her sister to be her maid of honor.
Recent Examples on the Web The 2024 March Madness tournament is underway, with the country’s best men’s and women’s college basketball teams competing for a chance to hoist the national championship trophy. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 Brett's Ambulance 61 partner, Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), stands beside the bride as her maid-of-honor, while Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) is Casey's best man. Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 Traditionally, the maid of honor, best man, and parents of the couple will give a speech at the wedding. Shelby Wax, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024 The Argentina star needed a tiebreaker with Erling Haaland to win FIFA's best men’s player prize on Monday. Ken Maguire, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 Following the dinner, the bride and groom’s parents, best man, and maid and man of honor all gave speeches. Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2024 Standing by his side at the nuptials was Paul as his best man. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2024 As the cameras cut to a commercial, Turner’s son-in-law Rob, who served as his best man, also gave a speech. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 5 Jan. 2024 Rob Young, Turner’s son-in-law, was best man, while Jen Woolston, Nist’s daughter, was maid of honor. Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'best man.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of best man was circa 1782

Dictionary Entries Near best man

Cite this Entry

“Best man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/best%20man. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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