marry

verb mar·ry \ ˈmer-ē , ˈma-rē \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of marry

married; marrying

transitive verb

1 a : to join in marriage according to law or custom

b : to give in marriage

married his daughter to his partner's son

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

— marry into

: to become a member of by marriage

married into a prominent family

See marry defined for English-language learners

See marry defined for kids

Examples of marry in a Sentence

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 of marry from the Web

That's the year Reed married Justine, who was four years older.

— randy harvey, latimes.com, "CBS didn't tell the ugly side of Masters champion Patrick Reed's story," 10 Apr. 2018
This apartment also marries its artsy side with its outdoorsy side.

— troy l. smith, cleveland.com, "Nina Simone's brother to represent her at Rock Hall Ceremony," 10 Apr. 2018
Collazo emigrated from Peru in 2001 and married a US citizen four years later.

— aimee ortiz, BostonGlobe.com, "Springfield City Council votes to protect religious freedom of sanctuary church," 10 Apr. 2018
Zeta-Jones became engaged to actor Douglas in 1999, and the pair got married at the Plaza in New York in late 2000.

— amy mackelden, Marie Claire, "Catherine Zeta-Jones and Her Daughter Are Seriously Twinning," 9 Apr. 2018
The victims include her husband, who lost his home to the hurricane months before the couple married.

— martin kuz, San Antonio Express-News, "After the hurricane, the storm within," 9 Apr. 2018
Earlier reports that the couple were married were incorrect.

— mensah m. dean, Philly.com, "Philadelphia couple dead in apparent murder-suicide," 8 Apr. 2018
Fortnite — think Minecraft married to Hunger Games — was already a giant hit before the game came to iOS in March.

— peter kafka, Recode, "Fortnite is making close to $2 million a day from iPhone users," 8 Apr. 2018
With the addition of fruits like cherry, raspberry or peach, sour beers marry sweet and sour to make beer flavors completely unlike the lagers and IPAs of yore.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "How to Talk About Beer Like a Pro on National Beer Day," 7 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of marry

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

marry Synonyms

marry

interjection

Definition of marry

archaic

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

Origin and Etymology of marry

Middle English marie, from Marie, the Virgin Mary

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

MARRY Defined for English Language Learners

marry

verb

Definition of marry for English Language Learners

: to become the husband or wife of (someone) : to become joined with (someone) in marriage
: to perform a ceremony in which two people get married
: to find a husband or wife for (your child)