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.
-
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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"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:
Online merchants face a difficult decision, though: Do they embrace outside agents in hopes of a sales boost, or do they resist them?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
But the unbridled embrace of aquaculture as a sustainable answer to feeding the planet ignores some very real costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The former president "needs to be free to embrace the people," Alfredo Gaspar, Flavio Bolsonaro's running mate, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Aaron says he tries to embrace the darker times that come with his grief.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
My worries disappear for the moment as Mother and I embrace and I smell the rose petals she uses to scent our dresses.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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
"Imagine a grandfather who silently embraces you every day, listens to you, and has always been strong and full of life," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Old friends greeted Griff with smiles and embraces, the new men more formally.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
That desire for privacy appears to align with the quieter lifestyle Carrey has embraced away from Hollywood in recent years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
If there’s resistance to giving Christopher Nolan back-to-back best picture winners, the greatest threat might come from a movie occupying the same lane, an auteur-driven epic lauded by critics and embraced by audiences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
On Wednesday night, protesters in the square wept and embraced each other after learning the news.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Or has F1 fully embraced the electric/hybrid system, and there is no going back?
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
He embraced Ann and tickled his daughter, and steered them to a nearby ice-cream parlor.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
For Netflix, that means looking outside of its once-unimpeachable red walls and embracing more reluctant partnerships with rivals, while cutting costs and overhauling old practices wherever possible.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lula has even dubbed himself the "selfie king," embracing informal, direct-to-camera campaign videos.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Countries like the Netherlands are already embracing glass houses, which could become more commonplace in Scotland.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
But some are embracing another option — rent where you live and buy where you can.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
She rose from her stool and lifted me to my feet, embracing me with a surprising strength.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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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.
