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.
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to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.
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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
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are embodyingprogressive
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is embodyingprogressive
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have been embodyingperfect progressive
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has been embodyingperfect progressive
Past
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embodiedsimple
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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:
If the stage is where ballet dancers embody their characters, then rehearsal is where they embody themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Constitution is a “liberty document,” and he was responding to a view of the Constitution that saw it as written by powerful men to embody a theory of power and mastery.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
But cosplayers can also embody everything from fast food brands, internet browsers and memes to intangible ideas like gravity or hunger, while also experimenting with gender.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
That’s because, as much as any player not named Messi, Fernandez came to embody Argentina’s World Cup—for better and for worse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
I try to embody Aishwarya, hoping her elegance and nonchalance will rub off.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Mocked by some as the “Darth Vader” façade for its bizarrely helmeted Roman soldiers, the Passion façade embodies the New Testament story of betrayal, suffering and transcendence in angular, expressionistic figures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Flock Safety embodies the dishonesty that has been the prevailing theme of tech corporate communications and marketing for at least the past decade.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“This extraordinary residence represents the culmination of that passion: a Napa-inspired estate that embodies everything she loved most about residential design,” the listing goes on.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Deeply influenced by his Cuban grandfather, Rubio says he embodies the American dream.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Just as the astrolabe embodies the medieval application of mathematics to the heavens, the sector embodies the new technical skills of the mathematician applying himself to the world.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Hill said the Fugees themselves embodied the idea behind Diaspora Calling.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The towering versions assembled by Shaggy and Scooby embodied abundance, customization and the exhilarating possibility that nearly anything could be made better by placing it between two pieces of bread.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Finally, we offer this series as a provocation: So many of you have spent the past year attending No Kings protests, at which you embodied, physically, what it means to reject monarchical power.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
The ensuing dot-com boom embodied peaceful commerce, but soon expanded into security and war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
From his volunteer work at a youth basketball league here in Dearborn to his goal of becoming a doctor and bringing quality medical care to poor neighborhoods, Kamal embodied the very best of America.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Haverford gave him an award for embodying the college’s values.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Nearly half of the U.S. soccer players who made an inspiring run to the World Cup round of 16 are dual-nationals, embodying the American dream on the Fourth of July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
There can be value in embodying machismo on-screen, if it’s done right.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
“This union of artistry and vision transformed the property into a singular masterpiece, embodying the glamour and creative force of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” the description goes on.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 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
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.
