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
-
to accept (an opportunity, challenge, etc) willingly or eagerly
-
to take up (a new idea, faith, etc); adopt
to embrace Judaism
-
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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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:
Normal protocols were suspended as supporters rushed to gather around and embrace her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Others found solace in an embrace with a loved one.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Lean into the historic moment, embrace the excitement and let Atlanta show up for Atlanta,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
One of the first major restaurants to embrace DoorDash, the company gets about a fifth of its sales off premises.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
“Mother Ashton,” she trilled, spitting out a piece of bark and extending both arms upward, as if offering an embrace.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
But at the risk of becoming trite, “Paralyzed by Hope” embraces the light that comes with radical honesty.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Across an itinerant urgency of walks, drives, embraces, laughs, threats, nervy meetings, shared meals, phone calls and tearful testimony, Loktev’s immersive portrait of roving defiance is as necessary as nonfiction gets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
When her father-in-law learns that he has cancer, Sarah Perry embraces her new role as his caregiver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The kitchen, meanwhile, embraces classic New York City style with dark wood cabinetry, ample storage, and modern appliances.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Those two live still, though life-creating earth embraces them: even in the underworld honored as gods by Zeus, each day in turn one comes alive, the other dies again.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Rather than engage in a diplomatic spat, Visit Norway embraced the president’s characterization, promoting restrooms that include the award-winning Stegastein viewpoint toilet overlooking Aurlandsfjord and the triangular Golden Toilet on Senja Island.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
“They really embraced him and thought this was an incredible new hire for them,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
He said his father, a keen footballer who spent his life working at the Alcan aluminium factory in Newport, particularly embraced something that was so new to him.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Meanwhile, Amazon’s rivals including Walmart and Shopify have embraced Muse, cutting deals with Meta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
When I walked into the Oval Office, Barack and I embraced silently.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
AFP saw Paliy, her mother and sister embracing Paliy's father in a circle.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Some candidates, like Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington's 3rd Congressional District, are embracing a relaxed, outdoorsy image.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
“Of thinking beyond ourselves, our immediate desires and thirst for gratification, and embracing our differences as strengths. It was a lovely illusion.”
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
It meant embracing uncertainty, discomfort, wildly unpredictable weather, and limited accommodations in remote villages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
I mean, look at everything I was embracing.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
