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
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to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc.).
to embrace Buddhism.
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to take in with the eye or the mind.
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to encircle; surround; enclose.
a secret garden embraced by wild shrubs.
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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
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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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"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:
There has to be a level of sacrifice, and you have to be willing to embrace it and enjoy that, which is the hardest part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
He joked he planned to "force" Sam to embrace Welsh culture.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
People working for AI companies are so busy and unfocused on traditional markers of wealth, many have yet to fully embrace the fruits of that labor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I’m a small-d democrat, and I think that people will vote with their feet and will embrace this museum as their own.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Maybe it was time to embrace the facts.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Even as the White House embraces AI as an engine of “human flourishing,” the administration continues to wrestle with the potential spiritual consequences of advanced machines that approximate human consciousness and often exceed human capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
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
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
She embraces all that is love and beauty.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
As a Michigan student, she embraced the school’s sports culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Designers happily embraced my growing bump with no pushback or compromise,” the British Nigerian actor said to the outlet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
No industrialist embraced the soybean more enthusiastically than Henry Ford.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
While some actors might want to distance themselves from the role that made them famous, Felton has embraced his connection to Harry Potter.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The Labadists in particular embraced simple communal living and sacrifice in order to flush out the poisons of self-love.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
For now, payments executives see trust as the biggest barrier to people embracing AI shopping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
While the Old Trafford job appeared to be too much for Moyes to handle, lasting only 10 months before being sacked, Maresca seems to be embracing the "challenge" and "privilege" of succeeding Guardiola.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The New York Times noted that Mackie tried and failed to gain acceptance for his designs "from the frosty corridors of high fashion," but Mackie said he had no regrets for embracing glitz.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Instead, the community became more open to the possibility without embracing it outright.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Before I scrambled down, unused rifle on my back, I sought out Rose, spying her and Wab embracing in the dirt expanse between the woods and the road.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
