espoused

American  

[ih-spouzd, -spousd] / ɪˈspaʊzd, -ˈspaʊsd /

adjective

1. embraced or adopted, as an idea, principle, or cause.

   There was an immediate negative reaction to his clearly espoused beliefs on the subject.

2. Archaic. married.

   Once while I was in medical school, my recently espoused wife was persuaded to come and see me do a post-mortem.

3. Archaic. engaged or betrothed.

   Espoused couples desiring to be married by the Ministerial Staff are required to complete the six-week preparation course.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of espouse.

Other Word Forms

• unespoused adjective

Etymology

Origin of espoused

espouse ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He became frustrated by the policy of peaceful resistance to Belgrade's repression of ethnic Albanians espoused by the late Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova.

From Barron's

When Bin Salman first came to prominence as Saudi defense minister in 2015, he espoused a pugilistic foreign policy that saw him launch the unsuccessful offensive on the Houthis and kidnap Lebanon’s prime minister.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite their past wariness of crypto, banks have long espoused the potential of the blockchain technology that underpins digital currencies to streamline their businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the past, Musk has espoused paying penalties rather than waiting for approvals as a way of doing business.

From Salon

Although his time as first minister was short, one of the stand-out causes he espoused was that of the Palestinian people.

From BBC

Related Words

• marital