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bride-to-be

bride-to-be

24 2.8
A woman who is engaged to be married
  • noun
  • /braɪd tə bi/
translation icon : prometida
  • Here she is, folks, my bride-to-be.

Examples

  • The bonus wedding shopping tips included with the story make this the ultimate gift for any bride-to-be.

    Blog text (16)
  • At least dance with your bride-to-be once tonight.

  • Yeah, looks like four brides to be.

  • Does it matter if the new bride-to-be never, EVER knows?

    Blog text (5)
  • I am very happy to say your bride-to-be is officially here.

  • Just coming to check up on the bride-to-be.

  • The young bride-to-be was "all dressed up with nowhere to go."

    Fiction book (1998)
  • No matter how hard the bride-to-be tried, her roommate would not talk, explain, or communicate in any way.

    Blog text (4)
  • I've arranged a trinket for my beloved - a little wedding present for my bride-to-be.

  • At the wedding rehearsal, Tay spent time with the beautiful bride-to-be and also danced with some kids.

Synonyms

bachelorette
vsbride-to-be
  • US
35 3.8

A woman who is about to get married and often has a party before the wedding

is specifically about being engaged rather than a social celebration or general unmarried status
betrothed
vsbride-to-be
  • Archaic
7 7.8

A person you are engaged to marry

refers specifically to a woman rather than any person
fiancee
vsbride-to-be
1 2.0

A woman who is engaged to be married

is the same in meaning but written as a hyphenated phrase

Surface Forms

bride-to-be singular
brides-to-be plural

Morphology

bride-to-be = bride (transparent) = bride + to + be

The phrase is directly built from 'bride' + 'to be (married)', so its meaning is straightforward for learners who know the components.

Etymology

Bride-to-be joins bride, which means a woman who will marry, and 'to be', which means 'about to happen' or 'soon'. So a bride-to-be is a woman who is engaged and will marry soon.