shotgun wedding

NOUN

marriage of necessity

Synonyms

WEAK

compulsory marriage forced marriage forcible wedlock shotgun marriage

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The midnight announcement by the leaders of both parties was made in sombre tones and had the air of a shotgun wedding.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

Historians have speculated that theirs was a shotgun wedding which Shakespeare entered into with gritted teeth.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2023

And we do that kind of shotgun wedding, and then the kids churn through homes.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2022

The two met at a club in 2004, and after Spears proposed to him, they got married three months later in a shotgun wedding.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2021

To say it was a shotgun wedding would not be inaccurate.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King