marriage

American  

[mar-ij] / ˈmær ɪdʒ /

noun

1. (broadly) any of the diverse forms of interpersonal union established in various parts of the world to form a familial bond that is recognized legally, religiously, or socially, granting the participating partners mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities and including, for example, opposite-sex marriage, same-sex marriage, plural marriage, and arranged marriage:

   Anthropologists say that some type of marriage has been found in every known human society since ancient times.

2. 1. Also called opposite-sex marriage.  the form of this institution under which a man and a woman have established their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

   2. this institution expanded to include two partners of the same gender, as in

3. the state, condition, or relationship of being married; wedlock.

   They have a happy marriage.

   Synonyms:

   matrimony

   Antonyms:

   singleness, spinsterhood, bachelorhood

4. the legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of two people to live as a married couple, including the accompanying social festivities.

   to officiate at a marriage.

   Synonyms:

   wedding

   Antonyms:

   annulment, divorce

5. a relationship in which two people have pledged themselves to each other in the manner of a husband and wife, without legal sanction.

   trial marriage.

6. any close or intimate association or union.

   the marriage of words and music in a hit song.

   Synonyms:

   confederation, alliance, oneness, unity, merger, blend

   Antonyms:

   schism, disunion, division, separation

7. a formal agreement between two companies or enterprises to combine operations, resources, etc., for mutual benefit; merger.

8. a blending or matching of different elements or components.

   The new lipstick is a beautiful marriage of fragrance and texture.

9. Cards. a meld of the king and queen of a suit, as in pinochle.

10. a piece of antique furniture assembled from components of two or more authentic pieces.

11. Obsolete. the formal declaration or contract by which act a man and a woman join in wedlock.

---

marriage British  

/ ˈmærɪdʒ /

noun

1. the state or relationship of living together in a legal partnership

2. 1. the legal union or contract made by two people to live together

   2. ( as modifier )

      marriage licence

      marriage certificate

3. the religious or legal ceremony formalizing this union; wedding

4. a close or intimate union, relationship, etc

   a marriage of ideas

5. (in certain card games, such as bezique, pinochle) the king and queen of the same suit

---

Related Words

Marriage, wedding, nuptials are terms for the ceremony uniting couples in wedlock. Marriage is the simple and usual term, without implications as to circumstances and without emotional connotations: to announce the marriage of a daughter. Wedding has rather strong emotional, even sentimental, connotations, and suggests the accompanying festivities, whether elaborate or simple: a beautiful wedding; a reception after the wedding. Nuptials is a formal and lofty word applied to the ceremony and attendant social events; it does not have emotional connotations but strongly implies surroundings characteristic of wealth, rank, pomp, and grandeur: royal nuptials. It appears frequently on newspaper society pages chiefly as a result of the attempt to avoid continual repetition of marriage and wedding.

Other Word Forms

• nonmarriage noun
• postmarriage noun
• premarriage noun
• promarriage adjective
• remarriage noun

Etymology

Origin of marriage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mariage, from Old French, equivalent to mari(er) “to wed” + -age noun suffix; see origin at marry ¹ , -age

Explanation

Marriage is when two people join together through a legal contract, a religious ceremony, or both. In some cultures, marriage is arranged by families, and in others people choose their own husbands or wives if they decide to marry. There are some places where marriage is limited to unions between a man and a woman, while more and more states and countries recognize marriage between same-sex couples too. You can also use the noun marriage to talk about a more figurative link between two things: “The song was a strange marriage of Bavarian polka and punk rock.”

Example Sentences

He helped turn around their image by highlighting climate change and supporting gay marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

However, that marriage broke down in early 2025, when reports began to surface that they had pulled the plug on their relationship.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Indeed, the marriage between Mulligan and Isaac's characters Lindsay and Joshua appears on the brink.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Harris Norton and her husband collected together throughout their marriage; after their divorce in 2000, she continued on her own.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

They would undoubtedly object to the marriage, but with Babci on our side, they would relent.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• merger
• wedding