embody

[ em-bod-ee ]
See synonyms for: embodyembodiedembodiesembodying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),em·bod·ied, em·bod·y·ing.
  1. to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form: to embody an idea in an allegorical painting.

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

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

  2. to embrace or comprise.

Origin of embody

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

Other words from embody

  • em·bod·i·er, noun
  • pre·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.

Words Nearby embody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use embody in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embody

embody

/ (ɪmˈbɒdɪ) /


verb-bodies, -bodying or -bodied (tr)
  1. to give a tangible, bodily, or concrete form to (an abstract concept)

  2. to be an example of or express (an idea, principle, etc), esp in action: his gentleness embodies a Christian ideal

  1. (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

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

Derived forms of embody

  • embodiment, 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