bridesmaid

noun

brides·​maid ˈbrīdz-ˌmād 

1

: a woman who is an attendant of a bride

2

: one that finishes just behind the winner

Examples of bridesmaid in a Sentence

I was a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding.

Recent Examples on the Web

And then there were the reports that Prince William wasn’t pleased that Harry appeared to be rushing into marrying the American former TV actor and that either Meghan or Kate Middleton were left in tears over a particularly contentious fitting for bridesmaids’ dresses. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 20 May 2026

The custom work also required fittings with each of the bridesmaids. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 May 2026

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026

Those traits would sustain the relationship between club and manager through difficult periods — including successive eighth-place finishes, external mockery of his methods and some supporters’ own doubts over whether Arsenal were now destined to be perennial bridesmaids. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bridesmaid

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed

Kids Definition

bridesmaid

noun

brides·​maid ˈbrīdz-ˌmād 

: a woman who attends a bride at her wedding