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
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Of Mice and Men
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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:
As you age, you may face limitations on your ability to exert agency, socialize often and embrace a cause.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
He joked he planned to "force" Sam to embrace Welsh culture.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
At Harvard’s reunion festivities in June, President Alan Garber sat for a Q&A, posed for a class photo and told alumni of the university’s efforts to embrace “sincere and rigorous debate.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
They believe in a higher power or spiritual force, but don’t typically embrace a more personalized belief that the God of the Bible determines the course of their lives and is active in human affairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In Alfhercht’s trembling embrace, Wielaf’s arms dropped and his eyes shut.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
"Imagine a grandfather who silently embraces you every day, listens to you, and has always been strong and full of life," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Dostoevsky follows the narrator over four nights and a morning during which he ceases living in his imagination and embraces reality for the first time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Season 2, now streaming on Hulu, embraces one of the sitcom’s most enduring tropes: the “will-they, won’t-they” romance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
These videos depict a fun-loving land that welcomes foreigners and embraces friends at 250 years old despite all the advertised assaults on its social fabric.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Before my good sense can get a word in edgewise I'm running across the room, throwing my arms around him in an embrace to beat all embraces.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
“Designers happily embraced my growing bump with no pushback or compromise,” the British Nigerian actor said to the outlet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I would have put on music and embraced the mild chaos of learning a new technique.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The fighters embraced afterwards, but while attention quickly switched to Garcia - who exchanged words with WBO champion Teofimo Lopez at ringside - Benn left the arena looking dejected.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Bonino met a leading women's rights advocate, embraced civil disobedience and began accompanying women to a Florentine abortion clinic.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
With sudden urgency, women embraced husbands and sweethearts who worked beside them at Phillips.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Payments executives see trust as the biggest barrier to people embracing AI shopping, alongside concerns over liability for unauthorized purchases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
While the Old Trafford job appeared to be too much for Moyes to handle, lasting only 10 months before being sacked, Maresca seems to be embracing the "challenge" and "privilege" of succeeding Guardiola.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The New York Times noted that Mackie tried and failed to gain acceptance for his designs "from the frosty corridors of high fashion," but Mackie said he had no regrets for embracing glitz.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Instead, the community became more open to the possibility without embracing it outright.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Another reason the Muslim community at large was embracing me was because they were simply starved for positive representation in the media.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
