dowry
noun
dow·ry
ˈdau̇(-ə)-rē 
plural dowries
1
law
: the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage
cultures in which marriage rarely occurs without dowry or bride-price
2
: a natural talent or gift
Beauty should be the dowry of every man and woman, as invariably as sensation; but it is rare.—
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson3
archaic, law
: dower sense 1
Examples of dowry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her parents were a Russian count and a merchant’s daughter whose massive dowry elevated her to the aristocracy.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Nannina was betrothed at the age of 13 for a large dowry and brought to her husband’s house five years later.
—Pragya Agarwal, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
But Kaur has yet to receive the $8,500 her family paid in dowry, or any other compensation for her decade-plus ordeal.
—Time, 28 June 2023
At a makeshift gold stand on a Rafah street, women sell the last of their jewelry and wedding dowries for cash to feed their families.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Feb. 2024
This was a family-centric ceremony and a dowry gifting, with almost 400 people in attendance, including childhood friends, Johnny’s fraternity brothers, and Yolande’s best friends and suitemates from college.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 27 July 2023
Vaccarella transferred their images onto dowry linens that her mother had collected over the years to create evocative, confounding paintings.
—Julia Halperin, Robb Report, 15 July 2023
Traditionally, such handwoven cloth would be part of a woman’s dowry.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 30 June 2023
Nobody, in the Western democracies at least, pays a dowry.
—Time, 28 June 2023
E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Nannina was betrothed at the age of 13 for a large dowry and brought to her husband’s house five years later.
—Pragya Agarwal, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
But Kaur has yet to receive the $8,500 her family paid in dowry, or any other compensation for her decade-plus ordeal.
—Time, 28 June 2023
At a makeshift gold stand on a Rafah street, women sell the last of their jewelry and wedding dowries for cash to feed their families.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Feb. 2024
This was a family-centric ceremony and a dowry gifting, with almost 400 people in attendance, including childhood friends, Johnny’s fraternity brothers, and Yolande’s best friends and suitemates from college.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 27 July 2023
Vaccarella transferred their images onto dowry linens that her mother had collected over the years to create evocative, confounding paintings.
—Julia Halperin, Robb Report, 15 July 2023
Traditionally, such handwoven cloth would be part of a woman’s dowry.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 30 June 2023
Nobody, in the Western democracies at least, pays a dowry.
—Time, 28 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dowry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dowry
Cite this Entry
“Dowry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowry. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dowry
noun
dow·ry
ˈdau̇(ə)r-ē
plural dowries
: the property that a woman brings to her husband in marriage in some cultures
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