hug
Americanverb (used with object)
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hugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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hugged,
past participle, past
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hugging
present participle
-
to clasp tightly in the arms, especially with affection; embrace.
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to cling firmly or fondly to; cherish.
to hug an opinion.
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to keep close to, as in sailing, walking, or in moving along or alongside of.
to hug the shore;
to hug the road.
verb (used without object)
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hugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hugged,
past participle, past
-
hugging
present participle
noun
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hugs
plural
verb
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(also intr) to clasp (another person or thing) tightly or (of two people) to cling close together; embrace
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to keep close to a shore, kerb, etc
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to cling to (beliefs, etc); cherish
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to congratulate (oneself); be delighted with (oneself)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hugsimple
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hugssimple
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have huggedperfect
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has huggedperfect
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am huggingprogressive
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are huggingprogressive
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is huggingprogressive
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have been huggingperfect progressive
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has been huggingperfect progressive
Past
-
huggedsimple
-
had huggedperfect
-
was huggingprogressive
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were huggingprogressive
-
had been huggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hug
First recorded in 1560–70; perhaps from Old Norse hugga “to soothe, console”; akin to Old English hogian “to care for”
Explanation
To hug someone is to warmly embrace or grasp them with your arms. Some families hug each other all the time, while others save their hugs for special occasions. Celebrate National Hug Your Cat Day if you want to, but your cat may be less enthusiastic about it than you are. Hug is both a verb and a noun: when you hug your cat, she gets a hug. You can also hug your knees, holding them close to your body, and your skinny jeans can be said to hug your legs, or fit tightly. Hug probably comes from the Old Norse hugga, "to comfort."
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:
“We bring a hug, a smile, a sense of hope.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He had time for a hug afterwards with Rachel Reeves, his chancellor and Downing Street neighbour during his time in office.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
But dogs—Canis familiaris—they welcome the arms, the hug, the love.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
After he grounded out in his final at-bat, Freeman enveloped him in an impromptu bear hug.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It wasn’t a full-on hug, because we were sitting beside each other, but it was good.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Last summer, a record 23 cargo ships transited the Northern Sea Route, which hugs Russia’s north coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The new, twice-daily journey to Sweden's Haparanda takes 100-minutes as it hugs the west coast of Finland before crossing the border between the two Nordic neighbours.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
After imposing an effective blockade on the strait, Iran has insisted ships take a route that hugs the Iranian coast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
As that warm blob of ocean water hugs the coast of South America, it heats the air above, causing the pressure to drop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Of all the cities I’ve lived in, none of them felt like home like Dad’s hugs do.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Fong wept as the unanimous verdicts were read out and hugged family and friends after being released from the dock.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Parents came up and hugged me, saying ‘We’re so excited our daughter is learning how to play canasta,’ ” Youngelson recalled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Maybe I wasn’t hugged enough as a kid because these G-forces felt like love.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
He hugged Vozinha and told him that his country should be proud of him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
So much had happened to him that it seemed days, not hours, since he had patted Star and murmured to her, since he had hugged Annad and kissed his mother good-bye.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
“After the meeting … we’re hugging, and we’re all on the same page, trying to fight this,” he said.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
You only have to see the clip of the pair hugging at the World Cup and Mac Allister giving his shirt to Klopp to see the warmth between the pair.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Emirati Defense Ministry said both tankers were sailing through a route hugging the coast of Oman when they were attacked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Maritime tracker Kpler said only seven commodity vessels used the waterway -- though the data did not include any vessels using the non-Iran approved route hugging the Omani coast.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
“And this must be Albie!” she said when she was done hugging Mom.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
