INDEX:
1. to get married
2. a relationship in which people are married
3. to ask someone to marry you
4. when you agree to get married
5. to find a husband or wife for someone
6. the person you are going to marry
7. ceremonies, celebrations etc when people get married
8. to perform a marriage ceremony
9. the people in a wedding
10. the people who are married
11. relating to people who are married
12. not married
13. not married any more
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ DIVORCE
↑ RELATIONSHIP
↑ LOVE
↑ FAMILY
↑ GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND
↑ SEX
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1. to get married
▷ get married /get ˈmærid/ [verb phrase]
to officially become husband and wife :
▪ Jenny and Tom were very young when they got married.
▪ My daughter’s getting married in July.
get married to
▪ Is he getting married to Sophie at last?
▷ marry /ˈmæri/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to get married to someone :
▪ Will you marry me?
▪ The only reason Carla married Henry was because she was pregnant.
▪ Do you think your sister will ever marry?
marry young
▪ I married young - it was a mistake.
▷ remarry /ˌriːˈmæri/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to marry another person after a previous marriage has finished, or marry the same person again :
▪ It was a pity our father never remarried after our mother’s death.
▪ Elizabeth Taylor remarried Richard Burton after they had divorced years earlier.
▷ elope /ɪˈləʊp/ [intransitive verb]
to secretly leave your parents’ home in order to get married, especially without your parents’ approval or permission :
▪ If my father won’t agree to the marriage, we’ll just have to elope.
elope with
▪ Mary fell in love with Shelley and eloped with him to the Continent in 1814.
▷ marry into /ˈmæri ɪntuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if you marry into a family or a social class, you marry someone who belongs to it, and become part of it yourself :
▪ Stefan would like to marry into a family just like his own.
▪ the story of a poor Irish girl who marries into New York society
marry into money
marry someone who is rich or whose family is rich
▪ The only way Steven will ever be successful is if he marries into money.
2. a relationship in which people are married
▷ marriage /ˈmærɪdʒ/ [uncountable noun]
the relationship between two people who are married :
▪ She already has two children from a previous marriage.
▪ Do you think marriage is still important to young people?
▪ Over a third of all marriages now end in divorce.
▪ What’s the secret of a successful marriage?
first/second etc marriage
▪ After a disastrous first marriage to a young soldier, Kylie didn’t feel like rushing into another relationship.
▷ matrimony /ˈmætrɪməni, ˈmætrəməniǁ-məʊni/ [uncountable noun] formal
the state of being married :
▪ a couple bound in the state of holy matrimony
▷ be married /biː ˈmærɪd/ [verb phrase]
to be someone’s husband or wife :
▪ My uncle and his wife were married for 65 years.
▪ Is she married?
3. to ask someone to marry you
▷ ask somebody to marry you /ˌɑːsk somebody tə ˈmæri juːǁˌæsk-/ [verb phrase]
▪ Don’t tell anyone, but Timothy has asked me to marry him.
▪ Are you asking me to marry you?
▷ propose /prəˈpəʊz/ [intransitive verb] formal
to ask someone to marry you :
▪ Did he get down on one knee to propose?
propose to
▪ I thought he was going to propose to me, but in fact he just wanted to borrow some money.
proposal [countable noun]
▪ Two days after their first meeting, Tom made Anna an official proposal of marriage. he formally proposed
▷ pop the question /ˌpɒp ðə ˈkwestʃ ə nǁˌpɑːp-/ [verb phrase] informal
to ask someone to marry you :
▪ Jane was delighted when Matt eventually popped the question.
4. when you agree to get married
▷ engaged /ɪnˈgeɪdʒd/ [adjective]
if two people are engaged, they have agreed to get married to each other at some time in the future :
▪ Todd and Ellen have been engaged for about 3 months now.
engaged to
▪ He’s engaged to Paul’s sister.
get engaged
become engaged
▪ We got engaged at Christmas.
engaged to be married
▪ You’ll be glad to hear that Ralph and I, with my father’s consent, are engaged to be married.
▷ engagement /ɪnˈgeɪdʒmənt/ [countable noun usually singular]
an agreement by two people to get married at some time in the future :
announce your engagement
tell everyone that you are going to get married
▪ Glennis and John announced their engagement yesterday.
break off your engagement
say that you do not want to be engaged any more
▪ Anita broke off her engagement when she found out that Paulo had been seeing another woman.
engagement ring
▪ Has he bought you an engagement ring yet?
▷ set a date also fix/name the day /ˌset ə ˈdeɪt, ˌfɪks, ˌneɪm ðə ˈdeɪ/ [verb phrase]
to decide on the exact day for the official marriage ceremony :
▪ Lizzie and George have finally fixed a day for their marriage.
▪ Have the two of you set a date yet?
5. to find a husband or wife for someone
▷ marry off /ˌmæri ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to find a husband or wife for your child, especially your daughter, because this is convenient for you :
marry somebody off
▪ If they couldn’t marry Ellen off before her 21st birthday, nobody would marry her.
marry off somebody
▪ My uncle married off my cousin when she was 16.
marry somebody off to somebody
▪ Because of the scandal Roberta was married off to a stranger and sent away from Rome.
▷ arranged marriage /əˌreɪndʒd ˈmærɪdʒ/ [countable noun]
a marriage in which the parents choose a husband or wife for their child, especially because this is the custom in their society :
▪ Vikram’s parents have organized an arranged marriage for him in India but he already has a girlfriend here.
▪ In an arranged marriage the husband often insists that the wife brings a dowry.
6. the person you are going to marry
▷ fiancé/fiancée /fiˈɒnseɪǁˌfiɑːnˈseɪ/ [countable noun]
the man ( fiancé ) or woman ( fiancée ) that you are going to get married to :
▪ I’d like you to meet Janice, my fiancée.
▪ She didn’t know Henry was Marie’s fiancé.
▷ bride-to-be/husband-to-be /ˌbraɪd tə ˈbiː, ˌhʌzbənd tə ˈbiː/ [countable noun]
a woman or man who is soon going to be married, used especially when you are talking about the plans for the wedding ceremony :
▪ The magazine is aimed mainly at brides-to-be.
▪ It’s understandable if the husband-to-be feels nervous before the ceremony.
7. ceremonies, celebrations etc when people get married
▷ wedding /ˈwedɪŋ/ [countable noun]
an official ceremony at which two people get married, especially a religious ceremony :
▪ Mom always cries at weddings.
▪ After the wedding the bride and groom went straight to the airport for their flight to Fiji.
white wedding
British a marriage ceremony in a church in which the woman wears a white dress
▪ Are you going to have a traditional white wedding?
wedding ring/ceremony/invitation etc
▪ Have you sent out the wedding invitations yet?
▷ marriage /ˈmærɪdʒ/ [countable noun]
the ceremony at which two people are legally married, whether it involves religion or not :
▪ City Hall keeps a record of all the births, deaths and marriages in the county.
▪ The marriage took place without the bride’s parents’ consent.
marriage certificate/licence
▪ We had to bring our marriage certificate to prove that we are married.
▷ reception /rɪˈsepʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
an event that follows a wedding ceremony in which there is a meal, speeches, and sometimes dancing :
▪ We had our wedding reception in a local hotel.
▪ I went to the church service, but not to the reception.
▷ honeymoon /ˈhʌnimuːn/ [countable noun]
a holiday that two people go on when they have just got married :
▪ We’re thinking of going to Barbados for our honeymoon.
on (your) honeymoon
▪ We came to Paris on our honeymoon, and fell in love with the place.
honeymoon couple
▪ The Maldives is a popular destination for honeymoon couples.
▷ stag night British /bachelor party also stag party American /ˈstæg naɪt, ˈbætʃələʳ ˌpɑːʳti, ˈstæg ˌpɑːʳti/ [countable noun]
a party for a man and his male friends just before he gets married :
▪ It’s the best man’s job to arrange the groom’s stag night.
▪ This is the club where John F. Kennedy had his bachelor party.
▷ shower/bridal shower /ˈʃaʊəʳ, ˈbraɪdl ˌʃaʊəʳ/ [countable noun] American
a party for a woman and her female friends just before she gets married, when her friends give her gifts :
▪ Melissa ended up getting three blenders at her bridal shower.
▷ hen night/hen party /ˈhen naɪt, ˈhen ˌpɑːʳti/ [countable noun] British
a party for a woman and her female friends just before she gets married :
▪ It’s traditional to wear a silly hat on your hen night.
8. to perform a marriage ceremony
▷ marry /ˈmæri/ [transitive verb]
▪ The priest who married us forgot his lines during the ceremony.
▪ Mum and Dad fell in love on the cruise and were married by the ship’s captain.
9. the people in a wedding
▷ bride /braɪd/ [countable noun]
the woman who is getting married :
▪ Everyone turned around as the bride entered the church.
▪ Teenage brides are twice as likely to end up being divorced as women who marry later.
▪ He took his young bride to live on the ranch in Wyoming.
▷ groom/bridegroom /gruːm, ˈbraɪdgruːm/ [countable noun]
the man who is getting married :
▪ It is traditional for the groom to buy presents for the bridesmaids.
▪ Can I take a photograph of the bride and groom?
▷ the happy couple /ðə ˌhæpi ˈkʌp ə l/ [noun phrase] informal
a man and a woman who have just got married :
▪ I’d like to propose a toast to the happy couple.
▪ Everyone waved goodbye as the happy couple drove away.
▷ bridesmaid /ˈbraɪdzmeɪd/ [countable noun]
one of the women who help the bride on her wedding day, and who stand with her during the ceremony :
▪ My three sisters were bridesmaids for me.
▷ best man /ˌbest ˈmæn/ [singular noun]
the chief man who helps the groom on his wedding day, and who stands with him during the ceremony :
▪ I was honoured that he asked me to be his best man.
▷ matron of honour British /matron of honor American /ˌmeɪtrən əv ˈɒnəʳǁ-ˈɑːn-/ [countable noun]
the chief married woman who helps the bride on the day of her wedding, and who stands with her during the ceremony :
▪ I asked my older sister, Louise, to be my matron of honor.
▷ maid of honour British /maid of honor American /ˌmeɪd əv ˈɒnəʳǁ-ˈɑːn-/ [countable noun]
the chief unmarried woman who helps the bride on the day of her wedding and who stands with her during the ceremony :
▪ Leslie couldn’t decide which of her college friends she wanted for her maid of honor.
▷ groomsman /ˈgruːmzmən, ˈgrʊmz-/ [countable noun] American
one of the men who help the groom on his wedding day, and who stand with him during the ceremony :
▪ We need one groomsman for each bridesmaid.
10. the people who are married
▷ couple /ˈkʌp ə l/ [countable noun]
two people who are married to each other, or who are having a romantic relationship :
▪ An elderly couple live next door.
▪ They’re a nice couple, aren’t they?
married couple
▪ Shirley and Bob are a young married couple with two small children.
▷ newlyweds /ˈnjuːliwedzǁˈnuː-/ [plural noun]
a man and woman who have recently married :
▪ Everyone left at about midnight, leaving the newlyweds alone at last.
▪ The hotel seemed to be full of newlyweds.
▷ man and wife /ˌmæn ənd ˈwaɪf/ [noun phrase] formal
a married couple :
as man and wife
▪ Terry and Meena aren’t married but they live together as man and wife.
pronounce somebody man and wife
say that two people are officially married
▪ Mom burst into tears as the minister pronounced us man and wife.
▷ married /ˈmærid/ [adjective]
▪ Are you married or single?
▪ We’ve been married for 25 years.
married to
▪ Geraldine was married to the richest man in France and still pretended she couldn’t afford a new outfit.
happily married
▪ Richard is happily married with two young children.
▷ wife /waɪf/ [countable noun]
the woman that a man is married to :
▪ My wife’s career is very important to her.
▪ Have you met the Ambassador’s wife?
first/second etc wife
▪ He remarried after his first wife died of cancer.
▷ husband /ˈhʌzbənd/ [countable noun]
the man that a woman is married to :
▪ I don’t like Francesca’s husband very much.
▪ How many husbands would stay at home and take care of the children while their wife goes out to work?
first/second etc husband
▪ Gary’s her second husband.
▷ spouse /spaʊs, spaʊz/ [countable noun] formal
the man or woman that someone is married to - use this in legal or official contexts :
▪ You may choose to pay income tax jointly or separately from your spouse.
▷ partner /ˈpɑːʳtnəʳ/ [countable noun]
the person that someone lives with in a romantic relationship - use this whether they are married or not :
▪ Have you met my partner, Ray?
▪ The office party is on Friday, but partners aren’t invited.
11. relating to people who are married
▷ married /ˈmærid/ [adjective only before noun]
married name
the name a woman uses after she is married, if she has changed her name to her husband’s name
▪ Is Robertson your married name?
married life
your life as a married person
▪ After thirty-two years of married life Barbara had no illusions left.
▷ marital /ˈmærɪtl, ˈmærətl/ [adjective only before noun]
marital problems/violence/difficulties/breakdown
problems etc between people who are married
▪ The police have the power to stop people holding their marital disputes in public.
marital bliss
an extremely happy marriage
▪ It wasn’t what you would call marital bliss, but it was a good, solid marriage.
▪ Many wives do not report acts of marital violence to the police.
marital status
formal whether or not someone is married - used on official forms
▪ Age, sex and marital status all affect earnings and income.
▷ matrimonial /ˌmætrɪˈməʊniəl◂, ˌmætrəˈməʊniəl◂/ [adjective usually before noun] formal
belonging to or concerning a man and a woman who are married - used in legal or official contexts :
the matrimonial home
▪ In the divorce proceedings, Marianne agreed to give up all rights to the matrimonial home.
a matrimonial conflict/dispute
▪ In any matrimonial conflict, it is always the children who suffer most.
12. not married
▷ not married /nɒt ˈmærid/ [adjective]
▪ He told her he wasn’t married, but he was lying.
▪ Jeff and Paula have two children, but they’re not actually married.
▷ single /ˈsɪŋg ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is single is not married or is not in a permanent romantic relationship with anyone :
▪ Please fill in the section on the form that asks if you’re single, married or divorced.
▪ At my age it’s difficult to meet single women.
single parent
▪ Many of the children at the school come from single parent families.
single mother
▪ I’m a single mother, so I don’t have much money.
singles [plural noun]
▪ people who are single They met at a singles’ bar.
▷ unmarried /ˌʌnˈmærid◂/ [adjective]
an unmarried person is someone who has never been married :
▪ Mrs Travis has three unmarried sons.
unmarried mother
▪ Unmarried mothers can usually receive help from the State or Federal governments.
▷ bachelor /ˈbætʃələʳ/ [countable noun]
a man who has never been married :
▪ Ben was the only bachelor among all the married couples and felt quite out of place.
somebody’s bachelor days
▪ Now that Derek’s bachelor days were over he’d have to start behaving in a more responsible manner.
bachelor flat
▪ His home had the look of a bachelor flat - clean but empty.
▷ spinster /ˈspɪnstəʳ/ [countable noun]
a word meaning a woman who has never married, especially a woman who is no longer young, which some people now think is offensive :
▪ Both my father’s sisters were spinsters.
spinster aunt/sister/lady etc
▪ Sally lives with her mother and her spinster aunt.
▷ eligible /ˈelɪdʒəb ə l, ˈelədʒəb ə l/ [adjective]
rich, attractive, and not married, and therefore very desirable as a husband or wife :
▪ His father had suggested several eligible middle class girls to him.
eligible bachelor
▪ The world saw Jack as a rich eligible bachelor, but really he was very shy.
13. not married any more
▷ divorced /dɪˈvɔːʳst, dəˈvɔːʳst/ [adjective]
someone who is divorced has officially ended their marriage :
▪ He’s living with a divorced woman and her two children.
▪ Yes, she used to be married, but she’s been divorced since last year.
get divorced
officially end your marriage
▪ They got divorced only three years after they got married.
▷ ex-husband/ex-wife /ˌeks ˈhʌzbənd, ˌeks ˈwaɪf/ [countable noun]
the man or woman that you used to be married to before getting divorced :
▪ His ex-wife never lets him see the children.
▷ be separated /biː ˈsepəreɪtə̇d/ [verb phrase]
if a husband and wife are separated, they do not live with each other, because they are not happy together any more, but they are not divorced :
▪ We’re not divorced, but we’ve been separated for six months.
▷ widow /ˈwɪdəʊ/ [countable noun]
a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again :
▪ Mr Jarvis died yesterday, leaving a widow and four children.
▪ Mourners at the funeral included Paul’s widow, Sarah Jones.
▷ widower /ˈwɪdəʊəʳ/ [countable noun]
a man whose wife has died and who has not married again :
▪ Mr Wright, a widower with one son and two grandchildren, made his first parachute jump yesterday.
▷ widowed /ˈwɪdəʊd/ [adjective]
if someone is widowed, their wife or husband has died and they have not married again :
▪ Joyce had come to Tucson to live with a recently widowed aunt.