wedding

[ wed-ing ]

noun

1. the act or ceremony of marrying; marriage; nuptials.
2. the anniversary of a marriage, or its celebration:

   They invited guests to their silver wedding.

3. the act or an instance of blending or joining, especially opposite or contrasting elements:

   a perfect wedding of conservatism and liberalism.

4. Business Slang. a merger.

adjective

1. of or relating to a wedding:

   the wedding ceremony; a wedding dress.

wedding

/ ˈwɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage
   2. ( as modifier )

      wedding day

2. the anniversary of a marriage (in such combinations as silver wedding or diamond wedding )
3. the combination or blending of two separate elements

Word History and Origins

Origin of wedding¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English “matrimony, wedlock, marriage,” Old English weddung “betrothal”; wed, -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see shotgun wedding .

Synonym Study

See marriage.

Example Sentences

Dad’s too preoccupied to fully react, however: Bug is busy trying to pay for the wedding with an exotic toad from Colorado.

From Los Angeles Times

The film actor listed their wedding date as May 25, 2018, and date of separation as Sept. 9, 2023, exactly one year prior to his divorce filing.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week, a former colleague told me about the time her phone reminded her of “the worst weekend of her life,” when she attended a remote wedding and came down with food poisoning.

From Slate

Still maintaining multiple relationships, McDonald jetted off to the Middle East for what his partner believed was a whirlwind wedding mere weeks into their relationship.

From BBC

She eventually found all of Ron's letters while her wedding guests were waiting at the church.

From BBC

Related Words

• marriage