noun
bridesmaid
BRYDZ-mayd
noun
1
A woman who assists and accompanies the bride during a wedding.
"Her three bridesmaids all wore matching pale blue dresses."
"She asked her best friend to be her chief bridesmaid."
2
Figuratively, a person or team that always comes close to winning but never actually wins.
"The team was dubbed the perennial bridesmaid after another runner-up finish."
How to Use Bridesmaid
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA woman who supports the bride at a wedding, or figuratively, someone who always finishes second.
Common pairings
chief bridesmaid
bridesmaid dress
always the bridesmaid
Word Forms
bridesmaided past tense, bridesmaids plural, bridesmaids singular
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Her three _____ all wore matching pale blue dresses.
Etymology
A compound of bride and maid. The figurative "always second place" sense comes from the saying "always a bridesmaid, never a bride".