marry

1 of 2

verb

mar·​ry ˈmer-ē How to pronounce marry (audio)
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

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. See More
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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'marry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of marry was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near marry

Cite this Entry

“Marry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marry. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

marry

1 of 2 verb
mar·​ry ˈmar-ē How to pronounce marry (audio)
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"

More from Merriam-Webster on marry

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