bride

noun

ˈbrīd How to pronounce bride (audio)
Synonyms of bridenext
: a woman just married or about to be married

Examples of bride in a Sentence

the mother of the bride
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
A lot of brides are simply giving themselves permission to linger a bit longer as a bride. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 8 July 2026 But, if the bride and groom were happy with how the day went, that’s probably all that matters in the long run. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 8 July 2026 There’s the bride walking down the aisle, and standing in front of a mirror applying her red lipstick. — Lisa Gutierrez july 6, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026 Very few brides possess the means, or the appetite, to turn their address book into a census of influence. — Bryan West, USA Today, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bride

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English brȳd; akin to Old High German brūt bride

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bride was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing bride

Rhymes for bride

See All Rhymes for bride

Browse Nearby Words

bridal wreath
bride
bride's basket
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bride. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bride

noun
ˈbrīd How to pronounce bride (audio)
: a woman just married or about to be married

More from Merriam-Webster on bride

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bride

Nglish: Translation of bride for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bride

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All