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• bear hug
  bear hug

  noun

  a strong, tight embrace.
• bear-hug
  bear-hug

  verb (used with object)

  to greet with or hold in a bear hug.

bear hug

¹ American  

noun

1. a strong, tight embrace.

   My father gave me a big bear hug as soon as I stepped out of the taxi.

2. Wrestling. a hold in which one contestant locks both arms around the other in order to make the opponent fall to the mat.

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bear-hug ² American  

[bair-huhg] / ˈbɛərˌhʌg /

verb (used with object)

bear-hugged, bear-hugging

1. to greet with or hold in a bear hug.

   eager fans bear-hugging the victorious team.

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bear hug British  

noun

1. a wrestling hold in which the arms are locked tightly round an opponent's chest and arms

2. any similar tight embrace

3. commerce an approach to the board of one company by another to indicate that an offer is to be made for their shares

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Etymology

Origin of bear hug¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of bear-hug²

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

I've posted it on social media and it shows me going over to give him a bear hug, but it is him who ends up lifting me off the ground.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Our critic praised the star for “his admirable ability to give audiences a big bear hug without leaving the stage.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

And it imbues the foodstuffs, home goods, clothes, paraphernalia and tchotchkes that hail from here with a sort of unquantifiable, ineffable, sun-kissed, surf-adjacent vibe that wraps around you like a cartoon bear hug.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 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

Patrice gets up and gives me a bear hug.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh