marry

verb mar·ry \ ˈmer-ē , ˈma-rē \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: marry in a Sentence

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 momentum slowed a little during their date afterward, when Garrett told her he had been married and divorced before coming on the show.

— mallorie sullivan, Cincinnati.com, "'The Bachelorette': Jean Blanc gets sent home after one of the most awkward moments ever," 18 June 2018
A few months after we were married, God started bugging me about something.

— eric adler, kansascity, "Unmasked: Inside the miraculous, mad, mysterious life of Dr. MooMoo," 17 June 2018
Thanks to the One-Forty Foundation, co-founder Wu and Yani became close friends; Wu was even Yani’s bridesmaid when she got married in Indonesia.

— lin shih-tung, The Christian Science Monitor, "After dead-end jobs, promise of a future for migrant workers in Taiwan," 15 June 2018
Jack first shared the story with his wife when they were married in the 1950s, but Jackie thought her new husband was joking.

— andrew m. davenport, Smithsonian, "Putting Enslaved Families’ Stories Back in the Monticello Narrative," 14 June 2018
One of the reasons I’ve been married for five years before having kids is because of general worries about being a working parent.

— jen gann, The Cut, "6 Women on How They’ve Been Treated at Work After Having Kids," 13 June 2018
Meeks shares 8-year-old son Jeremy Jr. with his ex-wife Melissa Meeks, whom he was married to for eight years and separated from in July, according to People.

— david caraccio, sacbee, "Stockton 'Hot Felon' Jeremy Meeks, girlfriend Chloe Green announce birth of son," 8 June 2018
In the nine years they have been married, the Ross's have lived in five different places.

— susan soldavin, Howard County Times, "Resident scores big cash, prizes on 'Wheel of Fortune' [Clarksville]," 7 June 2018
According to People, the striking hat the royal women wore is known as a Sverigedräkten, which Swedish princesses wear after they're married.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "The Swedish Royal Family Celebrated National Day in Traditional Garb," 7 June 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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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

in the meaning defined above

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)