marry

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verb mar·ry \ ˈmer-ē , ˈma-rē \

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

Jason Hooper said he and Ashley got married in 2006 and had Avery roughly a year later.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "'They were gentle hearts.' Two young boys killed by mother remembered by father, community," 29 Aug. 2017
Morstead has worn his ring since he and wife Lauren were married on July 13, 2013.

— michael democker, NOLA.com, "Saints joint practice with Texans: photo gallery," 24 Aug. 2017
Adding to the sadness was that Wishart had only been married for a short time, and his new bride was at his hospital bedside when Wishart died, Dyer said.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin Road Race remembered with car show Saturday," 24 Aug. 2017
Nikki and Ian, who married in April 2015, first announced their baby news in May.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "Ian Somerhalder Wrote a Sweet Note to Nikki Reed After the Birth of Their Baby Girl," 22 Aug. 2017
Ruud and Robert E. Peat Jr. were married on the day the remains were found.

— adam darby, kansascity, "Missing teen’s bones are found in an Ozarks burn pit, and her mother is arrested," 22 Aug. 2017
Encouraged by the Cohns and Harney Sushi, married entrepreneurs Roddy and Aaron Browning were the next to jump in, opening their Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen on Tremont Street in 2011.

— pam kragen, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Oceanside blossoms as new culinary hotspot," 10 Aug. 2017
While Fine's space marries many design styles, from touches of rustic to Mediterranean, one thing that remains consistent: the color.

— rachel swalin, ELLE Decor, "This Is How Laurel & Wolf CEO, Leura Fine, Decorates Her Perfectly Eclectic Los Angeles Home," 8 Aug. 2017
As Flying Magazine puts it, the DC-3 married reliability with performance and comfort as no other airplane before, revolutionizing air travel and finally making airlines profitable.

— eric tegler, Popular Mechanics, "Eight decades after its first flight, the DC-3 remains an aviation legend.," 8 Aug. 2017

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

marry Synonyms

Synonyms

wed

Antonyms

divorce

Related Words

match, mate; conjoin, connect, unite; affiance

Near Antonyms

separate (from)

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

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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)

MARRY Defined for Kids

marry

play

verb mar·ry \ ˈmer-ē \

Definition of marry for Students

married; marrying

1 :to take for husband or wife

She married her high school sweetheart.

2 :to become joined in marriage

3 :to join in marriage

They were married by a priest.

4 :to give in marriage

They married off all their children.

Learn More about marry

See words that rhyme with marry Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for marry Spanish Central: Translation of marry Nglish: Translation of marry for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of marry for Arabic speakers

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Origin and Etymology of marry

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marry

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marry

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