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

marry

2 of 2

interjection

archaic

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

Phrases

marry into

: to become a member of by marriage

married into a prominent family

Synonyms

Verb

• wed

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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, have been married for more than 50 years Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice Crystal, have been married for more than five decades. —Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 26 Nov. 2023

The pair rekindled their romance in 2022 and married soon after. —Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2023

The enduring connection between Gossip Girl and The O.C. lies in the union of its two stars: Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf) and Adam Brody (Seth Cohen), who got married in 2014 and have two children together. —Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2023

She got married and took her husband’s name, Feeney. —Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023

The couple were married Nov. 12, 2023 at the Venetian in Garfield, N.J. —Vivian Ewing, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023

History teaches us that H.G. Wells married his second wife, Amy Catherine Robbins, in 1895. —Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023

What’s more local authorities believe the promise of chameleon-like locations married with stability (and high quality of life) will make for a compelling argument to draw productions. —Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023

Powell, a Florida native, eventually moved to Australia to be with Irwin and asked her to marry him in 2019. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 14 Nov. 2023

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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 money
• marry into money
• marry into

• marry money
• marry into money
• marry into

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"