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definitions

bear-hug

[ bair-huhg ]
/ ˈbɛərˌhʌg /
|

verb (used with object), bear-hugged, bear-hug·ging.

to greet with or hold in a bear hug: eager fans bear-hugging the victorious team.

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RELATED WORDS

embrace, hug, scissors, squeeze, enfoldment

Nearby words

  1. bear's-breech,
  2. bear's-ear,
  3. bear's-foot,
  4. bear's-paw,
  5. bear-baiting,
  6. bearable,
  7. bearbaiting,
  8. bearberry,
  9. bearcat,
  10. beard

Origin of bear-hug

First recorded in 1955–60

bear hug

noun

a forcefully or heartily tight embrace.
Wrestling. a hold in which one contestant locks both arms around the other from the front in order to make the opponent fall backward.

Origin of bear hug

First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bear-hug

British Dictionary definitions for bear-hug

bear hug

noun

a wrestling hold in which the arms are locked tightly round an opponent's chest and arms
any similar tight embrace
commerce an approach to the board of one company by another to indicate that an offer is to be made for their shares
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bear-hug

bear hug

n.

1876, from bear (n.) + hug (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper