embrace
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug.
-
to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly.
to embrace an idea.
-
to avail oneself of.
to embrace an opportunity.
- Synonyms:
- seize
-
to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc.).
to embrace Buddhism.
-
to take in with the eye or the mind.
-
to encircle; surround; enclose.
a secret garden embraced by wild shrubs.
-
to include or contain.
An encyclopedia embraces a great number of subjects.
- Antonyms:
- exclude
verb (used without object)
noun
-
embraces
plural
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(also intr) (of a person) to take or clasp (another person) in the arms, or (of two people) to clasp each other, as in affection, greeting, etc; hug
-
to accept (an opportunity, challenge, etc) willingly or eagerly
-
to take up (a new idea, faith, etc); adopt
to embrace Judaism
-
to comprise or include as an integral part
geology embraces the science of mineralogy
-
to encircle or enclose
noun
-
the act of embracing
-
euphemistic (often plural) sexual intercourse
verb
Synonym Usage
See include.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of embrace1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French embracier, equivalent to em- em- 1 + bracier “to embrace,” derivative of brace “the two arms”; see brace
Origin of embrace2
First recorded in 1420–1475; late Middle English: “to influence, prejudice, bribe (a jury),” perhaps the same word as embrace 1
Explanation
To embrace something is to welcome it with open arms, hold, hug, accept completely. You might embrace your sweetheart, or even changes in technology. Embrace is from the French verb embrasser, which started out meaning "to clasp in the arms" (but now includes kissing). You embrace someone by giving her a giant hug, and when you embrace a new idea, it's like your brain gives it a hug. The noun and verb form are similar: If you embrace someone who isn't your sweetheart, you might get caught in an embrace. In Henry IV, Shakespeare writes about a really, really tight embrace: "I will embrace him with a soldier's arm/That he shall shrink under my courtesy."
Vocabulary lists containing embrace
Love Letter Words for Valentine's Day
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Of Mice and Men
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Of Mice and Men"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 executives said they were doing a postmortem on what had happened, and that the fund was reassessing how much risk it would embrace in the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hunt was among those to embrace this as well as she swapped out her silver earrings for gold at the European Championships, and wore a tiara after winning her 200m gold on Thursday evening.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
In British politics, Hilton earned a reputation as a zany but genius marketer who pushed the Conservative Party to embrace same-sex marriage and climate-friendlier policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Boyd Slater from Reclaim the Night said people need to embrace venues like these.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Molly glanced up once, to make sure Clara’s head wasn’t poking out from one of the windows, before running to embrace her.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Ultimately, they conclude, finding a new constitutional meaning that actually embraces the public’s true understanding of the document requires returning to our old understanding.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Even Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, an occasional ally to Spider-Man, embraces the woe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Syd’s new album happily embraces a sense of maturity — of “feeling more sure of myself than I ever have,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Byrd, on the other hand, embraces it all, even without the hazy glow of ’80s-era DV cameras.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Christina hunches over, unable to support her own grief, and Cara embraces her, and all I’m doing is standing still.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
The Chinese government has embraced robotics as a strategic industry, and local firms have ploughed resources into the development of embodied AI.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
But if Muncy’s 10 years of service represent anything, it’s that he has become a Dodgers great too — even if he hasn’t fully embraced the label yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
And then in Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Lisa Cook case, he kind of embraced those in broad form and turned them into the law.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
Once they decided to vacation in Atlantic Canada, Kent Truscott and his wife embraced the idea of discovering their own country.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Tiamat dipped her long neck, and Mary Lou embraced her.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Marketers are borrowing the vocabulary more readily than they are embracing some of the people who popularized it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
If anything, Grande is having a blast - teetering around in perilous heels, blowing kisses to the audience and embracing the physical and vocal demands of her show.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
And the court came very close to embracing it.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
As a gay activist once put it, “Only by fully embracing the stigma itself can one neutralize the sting and make it laughable.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions 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.
