espouse

American  

[ih-spauz, ih-spaus] / ɪˈspaʊz, ɪˈspaʊs /

verb (used with object)

• espouses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• espoused,
  past participle,  past
• espousing
  present participle

1. to make one's own; adopt or embrace, as a cause.

   Synonyms:

   advocate, champion, support

2. Archaic. to marry.

3. Archaic. to give or promise to give (a woman) in marriage.

---

espouse British  

/ ɪˈspaʊz /

verb

1. to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc)

   to espouse socialism

2. archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• espouser
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• espousing
  present
• espoused
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• espouse
  simple
• espouses
  simple
• have espoused
  perfect
• has espoused
  perfect
• am espousing
  progressive
• are espousing
  progressive
• is espousing
  progressive
• have been espousing
  perfect progressive
• has been espousing
  perfect progressive

Past

• espoused
  simple
• had espoused
  perfect
• was espousing
  progressive
• were espousing
  progressive
• had been espousing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will espouse
  simple
• will have espoused
  perfect
• will be espousing
  progressive
• will have been espousing
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

espouse espouses espoused espousing

She is a "frequent social media user" who has used the platforms to "espouse anti-American messages", according to a charging document filed by the FBI on Thursday.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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

“Maybe the government should be slower to espouse programs that it thinks will be the new wave,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

If you are ill-advised enough to espouse an heiress, you are pretty sure, sooner or later, to have her money flung in your face.

From The Maid of Honour, Volume 2 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

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

Pitt espouses a concept of simplicity in his men’s skincare routine — a three-step ritual starting with cleansing, serum to target signs of aging and then cream to lock in moisture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

The Japan Innovation Party espouses free-market ideas including lower taxes and deregulation, which if implemented could further jolt the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

The overall mission Peretti espouses in his memo also runs up against some striking self-contradictions.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025

JASON, having come to Corinth, and bringing with him Medea, espouses Glauce, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth.

From The Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I. by Euripides

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

While studying history in Switzerland, home to a large Albanian diaspora, he became frustrated with the policy of peaceful resistance espoused by the late Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Hitting wonks have long espoused the importance of swinging faster—the concept seems almost obvious—but the idea of prioritizing it burst into the mainstream in 2024 when MLB began publicly releasing bat speed data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

One of the most common arguments espoused by the antisuffrage forces was that women were not emotionally strong enough to handle the responsibility of voting and were thus incapable of making sound political decisions.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Soares has for years been espousing the extinction-level dangers of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 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

He added: "Anyone espousing extremist views or who expresses support for terrorism, or racial or religious hatred of any kind, including antisemitism, who is not a British citizen, should be removed from this country."

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

Here she takes aim at influencers espousing wellness for likes, their followers and the whole industry of commodifying belief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025

Forty years later he’d still be espousing ideas put forth by Armstrong and the Plain Truth.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• adopt
• advocate
• defend
• embrace
• maintain
• uphold

---