espouse
Americanverb
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to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc)
to espouse socialism
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archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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espousesimple
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espousessimple
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have espousedperfect
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has espousedperfect
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am espousingprogressive
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are espousingprogressive
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is espousingprogressive
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have been espousingperfect progressive
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has been espousingperfect progressive
Past
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espousedsimple
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had espousedperfect
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was espousingprogressive
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were espousingprogressive
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had been espousingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of espouse
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French espouser , from Latin spōnsāre “to betroth, espouse”
Explanation
Use the verb espouse to describe the actions of someone who lives according to specific beliefs, such as your friends who espouse environmentalism and as a result walk whenever possible instead of taking the car. You can see the word spouse in espouse, so you may be wondering what husbands and wives have to do with it. Originally espouse did mean "to marry," but its meaning has evolved to include other long-term commitments as well, such as support for a principle or a cause. Similar to marriage, if you espouse a belief system, the idea is that you've chosen to wed yourself to it.
Vocabulary lists containing espouse
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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:
“It makes sense for EssilorLuxottica to espouse a conservative message on the fourth quarter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"I have no doubt whatsoever that the people who espouse theories like those promoted by this individual will continue to disseminate them," Nunez added, referring to some French politicians.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Whatever agendas they may personally espouse, these writers are too alert to the messiness of history and human nature to be rigidly ideological in their work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
"This is wholly unacceptable and does not align with the values and behaviours that we espouse or endorse as a service," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2025
Or would espouse and proclaim anything that was not born of truth, and filled with blessing and benefaction for mankind?
From Quacks and Grafters by Unknown
Chapman made a name for himself championing “truly human leadership,” which espouses that better business performance starts with improving the lives of the workers driving that performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
It espouses a very conservative view of the family, which it says should consist of "a father, a mother and as many children as possible."
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
The overall mission Peretti espouses in his memo also runs up against some striking self-contradictions.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025
The drink may be clickbait, but it also speaks to a growing lifestyle trend that espouses going back to basics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024
He passionately espouses the cause of the poor and downtrodden, as his extraordinary revolutionary short stories—The Millionaire among the rest—show.
From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by James Huneker
The late nineties and early noughties in Britain were an era that celebrated casual sexism and often elevated celebrities who espoused it.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Jørgensen worked in a co-working space shared with colleagues and espoused “the Novo Nordisk way,” telling “60 Minutes”: “The values are based on ordinary human decent values.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
In addition, having cast off the rule of Spain’s Catholic monarchy, the newly formed Dutch Republic espoused a greater, though still incomplete, sense of religious tolerance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Leadership changes at the Fed, meanwhile, suggest a new method for tackling inflation espoused by new Chair nominee Kevin Warsh that is taking long-dated U.S.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
In the 1930s, Sylvanus G. Morley of Harvard, probably the most celebrated Mayanist of his day, espoused what is still the best-known theory: The Maya collapsed because they overshot the carrying capacity of their environment.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
They’re doing things that would’ve given Don Draper heart palpitations—laundry, bath time, their daughters’ hair—while espousing fairly traditional views on religion, discipline and masculinity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Perhaps the most committed advocate is Dutchman Wim Hof, who has made a career of espousing its purported health benefits.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
The episode, titled Got a Nut, premiered on 6 August and finds the character Clyde Donovan espousing offensive views on a podcast.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
“Needless to say,” Lipomi wrote of his research, “this project is not espousing class warfare.”
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025
Forty years later he’d still be espousing ideas put forth by Armstrong and the Plain Truth.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
