embed
Americanverb (used with object)
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embeds,
present (3rd person singular)
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embedded,
past participle, past
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embedding
present participle
-
to fix into a surrounding mass.
to embed stones in cement.
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to surround tightly or firmly; envelop or enclose.
Thick cotton padding embedded the precious vase in its box.
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to incorporate or contain as an essential part or characteristic.
A love of color is embedded in all of her paintings.
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Histology. to infiltrate (a biological tissue) with molten paraffin or other plastic material that later solidifies, enabling the preparation to be sliced very thin for viewing under a microscope.
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Mathematics. to map (a set) into another set.
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Grammar. to insert (a construction, as a phrase or clause) into a larger construction, as a clause or sentence.
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to assign (a journalist) to travel with a military unit or a political campaign: We've embedded a reporter with each of the presidential candidates.
The photojournalists were embedded in Afghanistan with U.S. troops.
We've embedded a reporter with each of the presidential candidates.
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to invite (an expert, creative professional, etc.) to work closely with a group or participate in a special event.
We have embedded writers within our acting companies, and now have playwrights writing pieces for the actors they are working with.
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Digital Technology. to place (text, images, sound, or computer code) in a computer file, HTML document, software program, or electronic device.
Here's how to embed videos on your website.
verb (used without object)
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embeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
embedded,
past participle, past
-
embedding
present participle
noun
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a person who has been embedded, as with a military unit.
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a period of time during which a person is embedded.
verb
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(usually foll by in) to fix or become fixed firmly and deeply in a surrounding solid mass
to embed a nail in wood
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(tr) to surround closely
hard rock embeds the roots
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(tr) to fix or retain (a thought, idea, etc) in the mind
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(often foll by with) to assign a journalist or be assigned as one to accompany an active military unit
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(tr) grammar to insert (a subordinate clause) into a sentence
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embedsimple
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embedssimple
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have embeddedperfect
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has embeddedperfect
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am embeddingprogressive
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are embeddingprogressive
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is embeddingprogressive
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have been embeddingperfect progressive
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has been embeddingperfect progressive
Past
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embeddedsimple
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had embeddedperfect
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was embeddingprogressive
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were embeddingprogressive
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had been embeddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embed
Explanation
The verb embed means to implant something or someone — like to embed a stone into a garden pathway or to embed a journalist in a military unit. When you stick something firmly within a particular environment, you are embedding it. If you are an archeologist, you might spend a lot of your time looking for pottery shards embedded in the earth. If you are a web site designer, you might embed video clips on web pages. And if your newspaper is covering a war overseas, you might consider embedding a journalist in a military troop in order to have a source reporting back from the front lines.
Vocabulary lists containing embed
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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:
The Journal went on such an embed in early October.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
All while trying to embed a clutch of new players.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Both Anthropic and OpenAI said they would embed independent AI evaluators within their firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
To help embed him in L.A.’s dining culture and lead the kitchen day to day, he hired Wally’s and Patina alum Ryan Kluver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We could do that with your definitive leg if you want. It doesn’t cost anything extra. I just embed the cloth when I’m making the socket.”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
A central-bank forecast that embeds market pricing does not suffer from this commitment problem.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Another issue for Microsoft has been its suite of Copilot AI tools, which embeds AI assistants into Microsoft’s Office, Teams and GitHub software.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
"Instead, what matters is sustained advantage: who leads in capability, who embeds AI most effectively across their economy, and who sets global standards."
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Still, it embeds a fair bit of caution.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
If the sun be fierce or if rain threaten, the Lycosa closes the entrance to her dwelling with a silken trellis-work, wherein she embeds different matters, often the remnants of victims which she has devoured.
From The Life of the Spider by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
Quietly embedded within those videos, though, was a tracking pixel created by Facebook.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
Those electrons can flip their own spins in ways that partially cancel the magnetic moment of the embedded atom.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
While the border with China employs traps embedded with nails, the border with South Korea has explosive mines, said Choi Shi-woo, a North Korean defector heading NAUH, a nonprofit organization that aids escapees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
When something stops going down on bad news, that means too much negativity is embedded in the price.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Brian had a mental picture of the porcupine coming into his shelter in the dark, throwing the hatchet and hitting the rock embedded in the wall and getting sparks.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
"Don well?" asks the Daily Mirror, embedding a photo of the two leaders shaking hands in New York City.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
It’s as if he recognizes that so much recent blockbuster filmmaking has been about embedding heart-wrenching pathos into the nostalgic elements we know and love.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
He created the Defence AI Center A1 -- a hub dedicated to embedding AI in the military and using live feedback from the front to speed up the deployment of new technology.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Rather than racing to build a humanoid capable of doing everything from day one, Agile Robots has spent years embedding its industrial robots inside factories to solve problems for their clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
“I have been referred to Dr. Viftas in Santiago—” “And you would be very grateful for the captain’s leniency in allowing you to go,” Patria reminded me, embedding my request in her scold.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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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.
