marry

mar|ry

W2S1 [ˈmæri] v past tense and past participle married present participle marrying third person singular marries

[Date: 1200-1300; : French; Origin: marier, from Latin maritare, from maritus 'husband']

1.) [I and T]

if you marry someone, you become their husband or wife

→↑married

▪ He married Bea in 1925.

▪ I'm going to ask her to marry me on St Valentine's Day.

▪ She married young (=at a young age) , and was divorced when her children were tiny.

▪ People in higher social classes are more likely to marry late (=when they are older than is usual) .

▪ Sophia had, in a sense, married beneath her (=married someone of a lower social class than her) .

2.) [T]

to perform the ceremony at which two people get married

▪ The priest who married us was really nice.

3.) [T]

to find a husband or wife for one of your children

marry sb to sb

▪ She was determined to marry all of her daughters to rich men.

4.) also marry up [T] formal

to combine two different ideas, designs, tastes etc together

marry sth with/to sth

▪ The building's design marries a traditional style with modern materials.

marry sth and sth

▪ He writes fiction that marries up realism and the supernatural.

5.) not the marrying kind

not the type of person who wants to get married

▪ I'm just not the marrying kind.

marry into [marry into sth] phr v

to join a family or social group by marrying someone who belongs to it

▪ She married into a very wealthy family.

marry off [marry sb<=>off] phr v

to find a husband or wife for someone - used in order to show disapproval

marry somebody<=>off to

▪ They married her off to the first young man who came along.

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HINT sense 1

In spoken English, get married is more common than marry .

WORD FOCUS: marry

wedding the ceremony at which people get married

bride the woman who is getting married

bridegroom/groom the man who is getting married

the best man a friend of the groom, who helps him and gives a speech

bridesmaid a woman or girl who helps the bride

matron of honour (BrE) honor (AmE) a married woman who helps the bride on her wedding day

reception the meal after the wedding

honeymoon the holiday that people go on after they get married

hen night (BrE) bridal shower (AmE) a party before the wedding for the bride

stag night (BrE) bachelor party (AmE) a party before the wedding for the groom

propose to ask someone to marry you

get engaged to formally agree to marry each other

See also: engagement, divorce

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