embrace
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug.
-
to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly.
to embrace an idea.
-
to avail oneself of.
to embrace an opportunity.
- Synonyms:
- seize
-
to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc.).
to embrace Buddhism.
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to take in with the eye or the mind.
-
to encircle; surround; enclose.
a secret garden embraced by wild shrubs.
-
to include or contain.
An encyclopedia embraces a great number of subjects.
- Antonyms:
- exclude
verb (used without object)
noun
-
embraces
plural
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(also intr) (of a person) to take or clasp (another person) in the arms, or (of two people) to clasp each other, as in affection, greeting, etc; hug
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to accept (an opportunity, challenge, etc) willingly or eagerly
-
to take up (a new idea, faith, etc); adopt
to embrace Judaism
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to comprise or include as an integral part
geology embraces the science of mineralogy
-
to encircle or enclose
noun
-
the act of embracing
-
euphemistic (often plural) sexual intercourse
verb
Synonym Usage
See include.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of embrace1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French embracier, equivalent to em- em- 1 + bracier “to embrace,” derivative of brace “the two arms”; see brace
Origin of embrace2
First recorded in 1420–1475; late Middle English: “to influence, prejudice, bribe (a jury),” perhaps the same word as embrace 1
Explanation
To embrace something is to welcome it with open arms, hold, hug, accept completely. You might embrace your sweetheart, or even changes in technology. Embrace is from the French verb embrasser, which started out meaning "to clasp in the arms" (but now includes kissing). You embrace someone by giving her a giant hug, and when you embrace a new idea, it's like your brain gives it a hug. The noun and verb form are similar: If you embrace someone who isn't your sweetheart, you might get caught in an embrace. In Henry IV, Shakespeare writes about a really, really tight embrace: "I will embrace him with a soldier's arm/That he shall shrink under my courtesy."
Vocabulary lists containing embrace
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Of Mice and Men
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
See Examples For:
It was the kind of unabashedly earnest moment that could easily have tipped into awkwardness, but many in the room seemed to embrace it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Top US tech bosses, including Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman, urged G20 ministers Wednesday to embrace artificial intelligence and build the data centers to run it.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Plus, the Supreme Court gives ballroom construction the green light, and Trump says it’s time for communities to embrace data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
John Swinney said it was time to "embrace change", with reforms to sit at the heart of his programme for government.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
It was as if he, like the wandering souls he ushered, had traveled into the glowing embrace of the Afterlife.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Dostoevsky follows the narrator over four nights and a morning during which he ceases living in his imagination and embraces reality for the first time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Season 2, now streaming on Hulu, embraces one of the sitcom’s most enduring tropes: the “will-they, won’t-they” romance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
These videos depict a fun-loving land that welcomes foreigners and embraces friends at 250 years old despite all the advertised assaults on its social fabric.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Ultimately, they conclude, finding a new constitutional meaning that actually embraces the public’s true understanding of the document requires returning to our old understanding.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
He swings back around and throws his arms around Mom’s neck, grasping her in a tight hug as she laughs and embraces him back.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Now it has switched to a locally-made version, which the venue's customers have largely embraced.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“That feels natural and poetic. I can’t say enough good things about the way they’ve embraced it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Lake recounted an exchange later in the day when he walked onto the field and embraced Donald.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
In turn, the technorati are sputtering, trying to regroup for their counteroffensive while laying blame for why the dreams of AI aren’t being embraced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
He found himself suddenly embraced in a bear-like hug by King Lune and kissed on both cheeks.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
But when I think about that moment now, it seems clear that she was embracing another familiar position:
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
His family appeared emotional in court, his sister embracing a prosecutor after the verdict was read while others sat crying nearby.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Discovering oneself is one thing, but understanding and embracing it are another entirely.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The skills she developed in those classes—staying present, embracing vulnerability and reading a room—have carried into her workplace relationships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
“We don’t understand that we are embracing our deaths.”
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
