marry

Q: What does "marry" mean?

1. (to become a spouse) to become the husband or wife of someone in a legal or religious ceremony. 2. (to perform a ceremony) to lead a wedding ceremony as a priest or official. 3. (to combine things) to join two different things or ideas together so they work well. 4. (to join ropes) to join two ropes together so they can move through a block or be pulled together. 5. (indeed) an old word used to show surprise or to emphasize that something is true.

Q: Is it correct to say "She married with a doctor."?

No — say "She married a doctor.". The verb 'marry' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'with' when followed by an object.

Word

01to become a spouse

A2 · Elementary

v. to become the husband or wife of someone in a legal or religious ceremony.

v. to enter into a formal or legal union with another person as a spouse.

“They decided to marry in a small wooden church near the mountains.”

“After dating for nearly a decade, the couple finally decided to marry in a private ceremony attended only by their immediate families.”

Pitfall

She married with a doctor.

She married a doctor.

The verb 'marry' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'with' when followed by an object.

Synonyms

wed get married

Antonyms

divorce

02to perform a ceremony

B1 · Intermediate

v. to lead a wedding ceremony as a priest or official.

v. to perform the religious or legal service that joins two people in marriage.

“A local judge married them at the city hall last Friday.”

“The ship's captain had the legal authority to marry the couple while they were in international waters.”

Synonyms

unite join

03to combine things

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to join two different things or ideas together so they work well.

v. to bring together or combine two different qualities, ideas, or objects into a harmonious whole.

“The chef's new recipe tries to marry traditional flavors with modern techniques.”

“The architect's design successfully marries industrial aesthetics with the natural contours of the surrounding landscape.”

Synonyms

combine blend unite

Antonyms

separate detach

04to join ropes

C2 · Proficiency Science Technical

v. to join two ropes together so they can move through a block or be pulled together.

v. to interlace the strands of two ropes or hold them together for simultaneous hauling.

“The sailors had to marry the two lines to pull the heavy sail up.”

“The boatswain instructed the crew to marry the ropes before attempting to pass them through the narrow block.”

Usage

Used specifically in nautical or rigging contexts.

Synonyms

splice join

05indeed

C2 · Proficiency Archaic · Literary

interj. an old word used to show surprise or to emphasize that something is true.

interj. an archaic exclamation used to express surprise, indignation, or emphasis.

“Marry, I did not expect to see you here so early.”

“Marry, sir, I have not seen such a display of courage in many years.”

Teaching tip

This term originated as a corruption of the name 'Mary' (the Virgin Mary) and is frequently encountered in Shakespearean texts.

Synonyms

indeed truly

From Middle English marien, from Anglo-Norman marïer, from Latin marītāre (“to wed”), from marītus (“husband, suitor”), from mās (“man, male”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“young man”), same source as Sanskrit मर्य (márya, “suitor, young man”). Compare its feminine derivatives: Welsh morwyn (“girl”), merch (“daughter”), Crimean Gothic marzus (“wedding”), Ancient Greek μεῖραξ (meîrax, “boy; girl”), Lithuanian marti̇̀ (“bride”), Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (maⁱriia, “yeoman”).) Displaced native Old English hīwian.