wed
verb (used with object)
to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
wed
1 American
[wed]
/ wɛd /
verb (used with object)
-
weds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wed,
past participle, past
-
wedded,
past participle, past
-
wedding
present participle
-
to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
-
to unite (a couple) in marriage or wedlock; marry.
-
to bind by close or lasting ties; attach firmly.
She wedded herself to the cause of economic justice.
-
to blend together or unite inseparably.
a novel that weds style and content perfectly.
verb (used without object)
-
weds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wed,
past participle, past
-
wedded,
past participle, past
-
wedding
present participle
-
to contract marriage; marry.
-
to become united or to blend.
a building that will wed with the landscape.
we'd
2
American
[weed]
/ wid /
-
contraction of we had:
Sometimes I wish we'd bought a bigger house.
-
contraction of we would:
Of course we'd be happy to donate to the school's fundraiser.
Wed.
3
American
abbreviation
wed
1
British
/ wɛd /
verb
-
to take (a person of the opposite sex) as a husband or wife; marry
-
(tr) to join (two people) in matrimony
-
(tr) to unite closely
Wed.
2
British
abbreviation
we'd
3
British
/ wɪd, wiːd /
contraction
Usage
See contraction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wedsimple
-
wedssimple
-
have wedperfect
-
have weddedperfect
-
has wedperfect
-
has weddedperfect
-
am weddingprogressive
-
are weddingprogressive
-
is weddingprogressive
-
have been weddingperfect progressive
-
has been weddingperfect progressive
Past
-
wedsimple
-
weddedsimple
-
had wedperfect
-
had weddedperfect
-
was weddingprogressive
-
were weddingprogressive
-
had been weddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wed
First recorded before 900; Middle English wedde, Old English weddian “to pledge, marry, get married”; cognate with German wetten “to bet,” Old Norse vethja “to pledge”
Explanation
To wed is to get married to someone. Your dream might be to wed your dream spouse in Hawaii some day. The verb wed is mainly used in a formal context — marry is more common. You can also use either word to mean "join in marriage" or "perform a marriage ceremony," like when the Archbishop of Canterbury weds members of British royalty. Wed shares a Germanic root with words in various languages meaning "pledge," but also "bet or wager."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The couple wed in 2018 and stepped away from their senior-royal duties in 2020 to head west in an unprecedented move.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
But hours after a lengthy list of celebrities were seen entering the venue in gowns and suits, large screens attached to the arena announced publicly that the famous couple were officially wed.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
After a brief spell in a Parisian convent school—and several months spent nursing her paternal grandmother—Aurore was wed, at age 18, to Casimir Dudevant, a family friend nine years her senior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The pair were wed in Seoul's presidential Blue House when her father Roh Tae-woo led the country from 1988 to 1993.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Even now the village was preparing for a wedding; Glenys, shy and sparkle-eyed, would soon wed horse tender Martyn, she not yet seventeen and he barely twenty.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
"We've told Sela and the team 'if you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we'd rather not please'."
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
"We are not actively looking at selling those homegrown players but if the right opportunity came up - right for them and the club - we'd obviously consider that."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Every time we started taking off, we’d hit another roadblock,” BG says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
We’re all sitting at home sipping adaptogenic mushroom tonics, journaling our feelings and politely declining invitations to any event after 7 p.m. because we’d rather optimize our sleep scores than take a tequila shot.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Once in a while we’d get a five-pounder or bigger.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
“The US Supreme Court began hearing the Brunson case yesterday Wed. 21 June, continued today 22 June and should have a decision out by Saturday 24 June,” an Instagram post states.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
Intended to cure loneliness on Wed. evenings and to allow people to get to know each other under circumstances other than formal MFU course.
From Salon ● May 12, 2019
"All schools in Wetzel County will be closed on Wed. Feb. 28, 2018, due to the stars beginning to align," the district announced, cryptically, on the state department of education's website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2018
Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Wed. through June 25, various times and prices.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2016
Viewing will be at Snowberger’s at 7pm on Wed. evening, and visitation will be at 2pm before the funeral at 3pm on Thurs.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Sophie Piper, who came third on their All Star season, and TikTok star GK Barry also shared their support with the newly weds.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
While Dbeibah has sought to consolidate his position with new roads, better power supplies or social benefits such as payouts to newly weds, faction leaders have complained about corruption in state spending.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 2023
Throughout “Saxophone Colossus,” he weds his extensive research to a feel for detail and narrative; the book is certainly long, but it has too much great reporting to be dry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
Martin's "Fire & Blood," Alicent is 18 when she weds the 27-year-old Viserys, while Rhaenyra is only 9.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2022
“Yes, is she not lovely, though so sad! Her dress is well chosen, too, for in a week she weds Count Antonio, whom she passionately hates.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Captain or not, Root is so often the man to steady England's batting, and he has said his team will not be wedded to a style of play.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Of course, Alonso insists he won't be wedded to either of a back three or four but it was this system used as Chelsea beat AC Milan 3-0 a week ago.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While many of its venture capital peers have opted to spread their bets across both leading AI labs – OpenAI and Anthropic – Thrive is wedded to OpenAI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I’m not wedded to a high school player or a college player,” Mozeliak said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
“In the ten days since our marriage night was disrupted, my wedded joys are all turned to sorrow. Now Hamlet finds quarrel with my virtue, but there is no cause.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Her wedding featured brand partnerships such as L’Oréal for her setting spray and Essie for her bridal nails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Naomi Hege, a 25-year-old bride in Indianapolis with about 3,000 Instagram followers, scored a $350 check from Zola in exchange for posting about her wedding website on the platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
After his 2018 fairytale Windsor Castle wedding -- watched around the world -- he and Meghan were touted as future monarchy rejuvenators, branded the "fab four" alongside William and Kate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Arlesia McGowan was trying on wedding dresses a few months ago in her bedroom when she decided to share her options on TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He refused to wear watches or even his wedding ring.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
