embody
Americanverb (used with object)
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embodies,
present (3rd person singular)
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embodied,
past participle, past
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embodying
present participle
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to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form.
to embody an idea in an allegorical painting.
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to provide with a body incarnate; make corporeal.
to embody a spirit.
-
to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.
-
to embrace or comprise.
verb
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to give a tangible, bodily, or concrete form to (an abstract concept)
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to be an example of or express (an idea, principle, etc), esp in action
his gentleness embodies a Christian ideal
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(often foll by in) to collect or unite in a comprehensive whole, system, etc; comprise; include
all the different essays were embodied in one long article
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to invest (a spiritual entity) with a body or with bodily form; render incarnate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embodysimple
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embodiessimple
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have embodiedperfect
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has embodiedperfect
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am embodyingprogressive
-
are embodyingprogressive
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is embodyingprogressive
-
have been embodyingperfect progressive
-
has been embodyingperfect progressive
Past
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embodiedsimple
-
had embodiedperfect
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was embodyingprogressive
-
were embodyingprogressive
-
had been embodyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embody
Explanation
To embody a role is to fill it completely. If a high schooler seems to embody the character of Macbeth, his performance might make the audience forget they're watching a dorky 15-year-old with braces. If you embody someone, you put him or her "in-body," as when an actor gives a complete and compelling representation of a character. You can also use embody to describe character traits you see in a person, like, “He embodies truth,” or, “She is the embodiment of goodness.”
Vocabulary lists containing embody
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Content Summary G.2: Regionalization
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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:
PepsiCo PEP 2.42%increase; up pointing triangle used to embody everything investors prized in a stock: dependable brands, reliable earnings growth and steady returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Knowing that good positioning, overloads around the ball, and relentless off-the-ball running help Swansea disorganise defences, it is likely the dynamic and roaming full-backs that embody these qualities best.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Short came to embody the inverse of that picture, the shaded gloom lurking in places that escape sunshiny illumination.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
If the stage is where ballet dancers embody their characters, then rehearsal is where they embody themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
I try to embody Aishwarya, hoping her elegance and nonchalance will rub off.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Kaluuya embodies Jay, newly released from a psychiatric hospital because Misty ran out of money to pay the bill, all the way down to the marrow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Said to have impressed with his in-depth presentations during the recruitment process, he embodies "a new generation with sincere humility", Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said of him at the time.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
This is the theory that the original meaning of the Constitution embodies the thinking of a particular philosopher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Former labor organizer and iron worker Brian Poindexter embodies the emerging blue-collar, practical-minded Democrat type in the upcoming midterms.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
This Terence Johnson character embodies everything that's wrong with our communities.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
The pilot Smit Machchhar embodied the "highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life", the UAE official said in a post on X.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
For the months and years that followed, she embodied a mother's love and determination to find the truth: to never give up.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
This was embodied in the company’s longtime slogan: You can do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Faraday Future says it has a leg up on the competition in the world of embodied AI because its bots are ready for delivery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
She handed the smiling doll to him as if this tiny memento embodied the hopes and fears of everyone in the room.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Jenny Lê, the flagship’s head of operations, has become the nucleus of the store, embodying the essence of discipline, intention and collaboration that has been there from the very beginning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Haverford gave him an award for embodying the college’s values.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
And he put his own political brand - steady, competent and embodying the highest moral standards - front and centre.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
There can be value in embodying machismo on-screen, if it’s done right.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Curiously, though, environmentalists also describe Native American history as embodying precisely the opposite lesson: how to live in a spiritual balance with Nature.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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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.
