marry

1 of 2

verb

mar·​ry ˈmer-ē 

ˈma-rē

married; marrying; marries

transitive verb

1

a

: to join in marriage according to law or custom

b

: to find a marriage partner for (someone, especially one's child)

They married their son to the daughter of a close friend.

trying to marry their children off

c

: to take as spouse : wed

married the girl next door

d

: to perform the ceremony of marriage for

a priest will marry them

e

: to obtain by marriage

marry wealth

2

: to unite in close and usually permanent relation

intransitive verb

1

: to take a spouse : wed

He first married at twenty.

2

: combine, unite

seafood marries with other flavors

see also:

marry into

marry

2 of 2

interjection

archaic

—used for emphasis and especially to express amused or surprised agreement

Synonyms of marry

Verb

• wed
• connect
• mate

Examples of marry in a Sentence

Verb

He married his college sweetheart.

I asked her to marry me.

“Will you marry me?” “Yes, I will.”

They married for love, not money.

The minister has married more than 100 couples.

They hope to have a priest marry them.

They were married by a justice of the peace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Before the five-in-five rule was passed in late June after the NBA Draft, granting five years of eligibility beginning with the 2023 high school class, UConn was seriously considering adding one player who was 23 years old, married with a child. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Janaka’s second daughter, Urmila, marries Lakshmana, and Janaka’s nieces Mandavi and Shrutakirti (daughters of his brother Kushadhwaja) marry Bharata and Shatrughna, respectively. — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Sam, having already been married once—and saddled with not only his father’s debts but, more to the point, his ex-wife’s alimony—has a different view. — Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026

Agnes’s gay son, Oscar, has decided to marry wealthy widow and former lady’s maid Enid, whose social ambitions will benefit from the prestige gloss of Oscar’s last name. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English marien, from Anglo-French marier, from Latin maritare, from maritus married

Interjection

Middle English marie, from Marie, the Virgin Mary

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Interjection

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing marry

• marry into
• marry into money
• marry money

Rhymes for marry

• aerie
• airy
• arie
• barre
• cherry
• clary
• dairy
• eyrie
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• ferry

Kids Definition

marry

1 of 2 verb

mar·​ry ˈmar-ē 

married; marrying

1

: to join in marriage according to law or custom

they were married by a priest

2

: to give in marriage

married their children off

3

: to take as husband or wife

married a singer

4

: to enter into a marriage relationship : wed

decided to marry

5

: to enter into a close union

working long hours, she is married to her job

marry

2 of 2 interjection

archaic

—used to express amused or surprised agreement

Etymology

Verb

Middle English marien "to marry," from early French marier (same meaning), derived from Latin maritus "married"

Interjection

Middle English marie, an interjection, from Marie "the Virgin Mary"