embody

[em-bod-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR embody ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), em·bod·ied, em·bod·y·ing.

to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form: to embody an idea in an allegorical painting.

to provide with a body; incarnate; make corporeal: to embody a spirit.

to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.

to embrace or comprise.

Also imbody.

Origin of embody

First recorded in 1540–50; em-¹ + body

Related formsem·bod·i·er, nounpre·em·bod·y, verb (used with object), pre·em·bod·ied, pre·em·bod·y·ing.re·em·bod·y, verb (used with object), re·em·bod·ied, re·em·bod·y·ing.well-em·bod·ied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for embodies

exemplify, incorporate, exhibit, express, epitomize, manifest, typify, personify, mirror, demonstrate, symbolize, realize, illustrate, blend, codify, comprehend, involve, embrace, contain, combine

Examples from the Web for embodies

Contemporary Examples of embodies

His celebrity status rivals, if not far surpasses, the Warholian persona that Koons embodies and embeds within his own work.
Jeff Koons’ Bright, Shiny Objects
Justin Jones
June 26, 2014
Just like Kathleen Sebelius with Obamacare, V.A. chief Eric Shinseki now embodies the VA scandal.
Why Dems Are Tripping Over Each Other to Push The V.A. Chief Out
Ben Jacobs, Tim Mak
May 29, 2014
It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiasm and faith is the condition of acting greatly.
The Real Memorial Day: Oliver Wendell Holmes's Salute To A Momentous American Anniversary
Malcolm Jones
May 26, 2014
In each image, Sherman embodies a new role, with a wardrobe and makeup job to match every occasion.
Why Does the Art World Coddle James Franco?
Jessica Dawson
April 22, 2014
And his small-scale sculpture Avarice and Lust (1887) embodies the two sins via a masculine form entangled with a female one.
Mapplethorpe’s Artistic Twin
Sarah Moroz
April 8, 2014

Historical Examples of embodies

It embodies the highest political wisdom for us as a people.
Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence
Various
It was written from his heart, and embodies his conviction of immortality.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 5, No. 5, May, 1864
Various
Nor yet the wondrous charm of Him who, for our sakes, embodies it.
Quiet Talks on Power
S.D. Gordon
It embodies all that is human in his hearths and all that is divine on his altars.
A Miscellany of Men
G. K. Chesterton
He embodies in many ways the conception of what the ideal American should be.
Frenzied Finance
Thomas W. Lawson

British Dictionary definitions for embodies

embody

verb -bodies, -bodying or -bodied (tr)

to give a tangible, bodily, or concrete form to (an abstract concept)

to be an example of or express (an idea, principle, etc), esp in actionhis gentleness embodies a Christian ideal

(often foll by in) to collect or unite in a comprehensive whole, system, etc; comprise; includeall the different essays were embodied in one long article

to invest (a spiritual entity) with a body or with bodily form; render incarnate

Derived Formsembodiment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for embodies

embody

1540s, in reference to a soul or spirit invested with a physical form; of principles, ideas, etc., from 1660s; from en- (1) "in" + body. Related: Embodied; embodying.