bear hug
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of bear hug
First recorded in 1920–25
Words nearby bear hug
bearer, bearer bond, bear fruit, bear garden, bear grass, bear hug, bearing, bearing down, bearing-down pain, bearing pedestal, bearing pile
Definition for bear hug (2 of 2)
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.
Origin of bear-hug
First recorded in 1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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