What does "wedding" mean?
A marriage ceremony; a ritual officially celebrating the beginning of a marriage.
Wedding
/ˈwɛdɪŋ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A marriage ceremony; a ritual officially celebrating the beginning of a marriage.
- Grammar: wedding is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: marriage ceremony, nuptials, addition, affiliation.
- Useful contrasts: divorce, nonbridal, nonwedding.
- Usage evidence: Food and drink were served in such profusion at the wedding that the bride and groom began to wonder if they should not have invited more guests.
How to use "wedding"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wedding" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wedding" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wedding" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wedding" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wedding" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "marriage ceremony" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wedding", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A marriage ceremony; a ritual officially celebrating the beginning of a marriage.
"Her announcement was quite a surprise, coming a month after she published the words "I hate weddings with a passion and a fury I can only partially explain rationally.""
- 2 the act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony wordnet
- 3 The joining of two or more parts. idiomatic
"The wedding of our three companies took place last week."
- 4 the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed wordnet
- 5 a party of people at a wedding wordnet
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of wed form-of, gerund, participle, present
"Accordingly the Prince, accepting her largesse, sought the King to whom he had pledged his parents (and they were still with him in all weal and welfare) and going in to him made his salam and kissed ground and told him the whole tale of the past and the conditions of death or marriage he had made with the King's daughter and of his wedding her after overcoming her in contention."
- 2 To participate in a wedding. humorous, intransitive
""Snowball" was the name of this good steed, and great care had evidently been taken in her grooming to make her worthy of her name, her bridle being also gaily decked with coloured ribbons, for, as John said, when attending to these duties, "You don't go out a weddinging every day, do you, old gal?""
Proper Noun
- 1 A district of Mitte borough, Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; A former borough of Berlin, Germany. countable, historical, uncountable
- 2 A district of Mitte borough, Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; A former village near Berlin, Germany. countable, historical, uncountable
- 3 A surname. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Food and drink were served in such profusion at the wedding that the bride and groom began to wonder if they should not have invited more guests."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wedding"?
Common synonyms include: marriage ceremony, nuptials, addition, affiliation, agglomeration, aggregation.
How do you use "wedding" in a sentence?
Food and drink were served in such profusion at the wedding that the bride and groom began to wonder if they should not have invited more guests.
How do you pronounce "wedding"?
Pronounced /ˈwɛdɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English wedding, weddynge, from Old English weddung (“betrothal, espousal”), equivalent to wed + -ing. Cognate with Middle Dutch weddinghe.
Etymology 2
A conversion of wedding (noun) to a verb.