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.
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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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"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:
He might look intimidating, but his smile and willingness to participate in school gatherings propels others to immediately embrace him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
She has had misgivings about using the technology, but decided it was finally time to embrace it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
In British politics, Hilton earned a reputation as a zany but genius marketer who pushed the Conservative Party to embrace same-sex marriage and climate-friendlier policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The club added that they "embrace with affection Celia, Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol, and all their loved ones and close ones in this difficult moment".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
They’d waited more than two years for this one embrace.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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
And that’s because Lotus is the only production carmaker that truly embraces the slide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Art really allows and embraces healing,” Donis said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Byrd, on the other hand, embraces it all, even without the hazy glow of ’80s-era DV cameras.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Eighth Regiment soldier Edward Pryor embraces his daughter, 1917.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
And then in Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Lisa Cook case, he kind of embraced those in broad form and turned them into the law.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
Whether he is pulling a pint, tossing a builder's helmet in the air or running with Olympic medallist Mo Farah, the UK's new prime minister Andy Burnham has embraced social media with a deft touch.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Terekh’s path is one traveled by many peaceful Ukrainians who have embraced the war effort after realizing their skills were needed to blunt Russia’s invasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Teenagers, even more than adults, have embraced the whole second-hand culture," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Following Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson embraced the antipoverty rhetoric with great passion, calling for an “unconditional war on poverty,” in his State of the Union Address in January 1964.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Maybe they can get tenure by embracing and touting these ideas and getting a citation from a Supreme Court justice, maybe even a majority opinion.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
Singapore is one of the world's fastest aging countries and its seniors are embracing the challenge of staying healthy creatively.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“AI is very likely to make the U.S. economy more productive. If investors believe that, they should be buying the equal-weighted S&P 500 and companies embracing AI in their operations.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
“It’s the first time that I’m properly going into the genre and embracing it and instigating that work,” Anderson says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Some of these gestures are just like ours—holding hands, embracing, kissing, patting one another on the back.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
