bear hug
noun
a strong, tight embrace.
bear hug
1 Americannoun
-
a strong, tight embrace.
My father gave me a big bear hug as soon as I stepped out of the taxi.
-
Wrestling. a hold in which one contestant locks both arms around the other in order to make the opponent fall to the mat.
bear-hug
2
American
[bair-huhg]
/ ˈbɛərˌhʌg /
verb (used with object)
bear-hugged,
bear-hugging
bear hug
British
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
Etymology
Origin of bear hug1
First recorded in 1920–25
Origin of bear-hug2
First recorded in 1955–60
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:
Yvonne Carvalho, a 5-foot dynamo with oversize black glasses and purple MAC lipstick, greeted the nurse anesthesiologist with a bear hug and questions about her dating life and her daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Another leader, Evelyn Santiago, wrapped her in a bear hug and steered her to a table overflowing with snacks and art supplies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Giant lineman JC Latham did not get the memo though as he gave Goodell a huge bear hug after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2024
A warm tone was already set the previous day, when Milei embraced Francis with a bear hug at the end of a Mass to declare Argentina’s first female saint.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
At the sound of squishing shoes and a strange, rapid little clicking sound, the boys awoke to see Kate giving their radiator a bear hug, her teeth chattering furiously, her clothes dripping water.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
“We literally had to bear-hug the hull” to get the parts in place, said Mersai’s classmate, Henry Peters.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2022
On a third and eight, Young used a quick swim move to duck tackle Isaiah Wynn and bear-hug Newton, who released the ball just before the hit.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2021
Prospects can once again bear-hug a fully vaccinated Commissioner Roger Goodell.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 28, 2021
The respect and affection in which he was held still obvious, the bear-hug greeting still as warm and friendly.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2020
And Jack made no move to follow her, but stayed and gathered his mother again into a one-armed imitation of a real bear-hug.
From The Lookout Man by Bower, B. M.
Ohtani’s excitement for the game and his teammates—especially Yamamoto, whom he giddily bear-hugged in the celebration last night—does as much to lift the sport as his remarkable two-way talent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Joe Smigiel bear-hugged every player and coach in sight after breaking his team’s postgame huddle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2024
No idiosyncrasy is too singular for him to wrestle into submission – and over three seasons of the Syfy series, he’s bear-hugged a lot of them.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2024
He was voted NBA MVP — that has Harden who bear-hugged Embiid when his name was called — and won his second straight league scoring title.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
His mom saw him and started yelling and waving, laughing as Ricky bear-hugged her from behind.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Nick Kyrgios stole the show, especially with his bear-hugging celebration on court with doubles partner Alex de Minaur.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 11, 2020
She runs from him, and he gives chase, bear-hugging her from behind, sobbing, apologizing, his nose running, until they kiss.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2019
Matthew Futterman: The marking was much better on that set piece for Panama, except that someone forgot to tell them that bear-hugging is not allowed in the World Cup either.
From New York Times ● Jun. 24, 2018
The theft drew global attention after police released surveillance video last month showing a man reaching into an armored truck, then tottering away while bear-hugging the pot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2016
I have seen pictures of the graduation day hung about his house, Kwang and his wife, May, smiling in the bright afternoon light, bear-hugging each other.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
