Meaning & use
maid of honor
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Meanings
nouncountable
The unmarried woman who is the bride's main helper and companion at a wedding and who usually gives a speech.
Grammar: Takes an article: she was the maid of honor. Plural is maids of honor.
Patterns
- maid of honor at something
- maid of honor for someone
My sister will be the maid of honor at my wedding.
The maid of honor held the bouquet during the vows.
As maid of honor, she organized the bridal shower.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A young woman of noble birth who attended a queen or princess at court in earlier times.
Grammar: Historical sense: the maids of honor served the queen.
Patterns
- maid of honor to someone
She served as a maid of honor to the queen for six years.
The maids of honor walked behind the princess in the procession.
Several maids of honor were chosen from the leading families.
Word forms
| plural | maids of honor |
|---|
Common combinations
- be the maid of honor
- Dana asked her best friend to be the maid of honor.
- maid of honor speech
- The maid of honor speech made everyone laugh and cry.
- choose a maid of honor
- It took her weeks to choose a maid of honor.
- maid of honor dress
- Her maid of honor dress was a deeper shade than the others.
- ask someone to be maid of honor
- He was touched when she asked her cousin to be maid of honor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chief bridesmaid
- Chief bridesmaid is the usual British phrase, and it sounds more casual than maid of honor.
- matron of honor
- Matron of honor is used instead when the woman holding the role is married.
- bridesmaid
- A bridesmaid is any of the bride's female attendants, while the maid of honor is the leading one.
Word family
- matron of honor noun
- a married woman in the same role
- best man noun
- the groom's chief male attendant
- bridesmaid noun
- a woman who attends the bride
- honor noun
- respect or a special privilege
Commonly confused: maid of honor or bridesmaid?
maid of honor vs bridesmaid
A wedding can have many bridesmaids but only one maid of honor, the chief attendant.
Practice
In an American wedding, who usually gives a toast as the bride's closest attendant?
Choose one answer.
The maid of honor is the bride's main attendant. The best man holds the equivalent role for the groom, and the flower girl and usher do not usually give the main toast.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maid of honor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.