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
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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
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had embodiedperfect
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was embodyingprogressive
-
were embodyingprogressive
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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:
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
Half a century ago, the bears introduced to the U.S. a warm, cuddly image of a China that had been seen to embody stark authoritarianism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Short came to embody the inverse of that picture, the shaded gloom lurking in places that escape sunshiny illumination.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
We spoke with four creatives who are reimagining what it means to not only collect Japanese fashion in L.A., but to truly embody its unique spirit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
A notable element of all these East-West rivalries was that the western rep-resentatives nearly always seemed to embody certain attributes that stood in stark contrast to those of their eastern counterparts.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Kaluuya embodies Jay, newly released from a psychiatric hospital because Misty ran out of money to pay the bill, all the way down to the marrow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
They may reach arguably loftier artistic heights with “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper,” “The White Album,” or “Abbey Road” — take your pick — but “Rubber Soul” embodies the group’s decisive turn towards self-conscious greatness.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Former labor organizer and iron worker Brian Poindexter embodies the emerging blue-collar, practical-minded Democrat type in the upcoming midterms.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Yet she argues that Kander’s work embodies not the melting pot but “culinary pluralism.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
A mammoth corporation like this—it embodies too much experience.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Fresh off the heels of Thom Browne’s New York Fashion Week presentation, where models and dancers embodied bugs and butterflies, the designer exchanged emails with Tyler Matthew Oyer about his creative process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The pilot Smit Machchhar embodied the "highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life", the UAE official said in a post on X.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
This was embodied in the company’s longtime slogan: You can do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Wallace, a New Yorker, was Shakur's big rival and the two rappers embodied the East Coast - West Coast feud that dominated 1990s hip-hop.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
I told them I believed in the Freedom Charter, that the charter embodied principles of democracy and human rights, and that it was not a blueprint for socialism.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“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
The company wants Niles to boost sales and cachet by embodying the casual vibe associated with its slip-on shoes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
And he put his own political brand - steady, competent and embodying the highest moral standards - front and centre.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
There can be value in embodying machismo on-screen, if it’s done right.
From Salon ● May 27, 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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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
