embody
Americanverb (used with object)
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embodies,
present (3rd person singular)
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embodied,
past participle, past
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embodying
present participle
-
to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form.
to embody an idea in an allegorical painting.
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to provide with a body incarnate; make corporeal.
to embody a spirit.
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to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.
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to embrace or comprise.
verb
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to give a tangible, bodily, or concrete form to (an abstract concept)
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to be an example of or express (an idea, principle, etc), esp in action
his gentleness embodies a Christian ideal
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(often foll by in) to collect or unite in a comprehensive whole, system, etc; comprise; include
all the different essays were embodied in one long article
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to invest (a spiritual entity) with a body or with bodily form; render incarnate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embodysimple
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embodiessimple
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have embodiedperfect
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has embodiedperfect
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am embodyingprogressive
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are embodyingprogressive
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is embodyingprogressive
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have been embodyingperfect progressive
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has been embodyingperfect progressive
Past
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embodiedsimple
-
had embodiedperfect
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was embodyingprogressive
-
were embodyingprogressive
-
had been embodyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embody
Explanation
To embody a role is to fill it completely. If a high schooler seems to embody the character of Macbeth, his performance might make the audience forget they're watching a dorky 15-year-old with braces. If you embody someone, you put him or her "in-body," as when an actor gives a complete and compelling representation of a character. You can also use embody to describe character traits you see in a person, like, “He embodies truth,” or, “She is the embodiment of goodness.”
Vocabulary lists containing embody
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Content Summary G.2: Regionalization
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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:
These three “Love Is Blind” couples perfectly embody some of the most awkward yet essential money matters to figure out first.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
To embody Conrad, 73-year-old Brosnan had a process: "You sit quietly with a cup of tea, and you read the script, and you read the script many times over."
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Knowing that good positioning, overloads around the ball, and relentless off-the-ball running help Swansea disorganise defences, it is likely the dynamic and roaming full-backs that embody these qualities best.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
They embody the very spirit of the cultures they represent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Manman says that in order for the Iwas to help us, we sometimes have to embody them, let them mount us so they take over our thoughts.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
And in the high-fashion world, model Gabbriette Bechtel embodies the edginess of contemporary Latina Goth looks, one that upends vintage Chicana beauty conventions by pushing them into a more avant-garde space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
As her husband, Sang-woo—who comes from money and is now a businessman, often dealmaking in genteel English over the phone—Mr. Zo embodies an entitlement so deeply instilled that it almost doesn’t register.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Jacob Tremblay embodies a young Kaczynski almost exactly as I have imagined him, minus the smiling and the forging of his mother’s signature.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Said to have impressed with his in-depth presentations during the recruitment process, he embodies "a new generation with sincere humility", Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said of him at the time.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
True concluded triumphantly, “God or man, he embodies all the radiant energy of the adolescence of western art.”
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
The juvenile depravity he embodied couldn’t save him.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Prof Barker said: "It is fascinating to have evidence for both compassion and violence amongst Neanderthals, our closest evolutionary cousins, embodied in this one individual."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Both authors are most persuasive when they treat smell as embodied knowledge rather than decoration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
El-Sayed connects his belief to a national crisis of faith embodied in Washington: “We don’t have faith in our future; we don’t have faith that we can actually fix things.”
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Burr embodied Hamilton’s daring and energy run amok in a political culture still groping for its stable shape.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
“This union of artistry and vision transformed the property into a singular masterpiece, embodying the glamour and creative force of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” the description added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Jenny Lê, the flagship’s head of operations, has become the nucleus of the store, embodying the essence of discipline, intention and collaboration that has been there from the very beginning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Haverford gave him an award for embodying the college’s values.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
"Off the field, he carried himself with humility and integrity, embodying the very best values of our game."
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
It became a kind of secret code embodying their ambitions.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
