embroider

[em-broi-der]

See more synonyms for embroider on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to decorate with ornamental needlework.
to produce or form in needlework.
to adorn or embellish rhetorically, especially with ornate language or fictitious details: He embroidered the account of the shipwreck to hold his listeners' interest.

verb (used without object)

to do embroidery.
to add embellishments; exaggerate (often followed by on or upon).

Origin of embroider

1350–1400; em-¹ + broider; replacing Middle English embroderen, frequentative of embroden < Middle French embro(u)der, equivalent to em- em-¹ + Old French brosder, derivative of brosd < Germanic (see brad)

Related formsem·broi·der·er, nouno·ver·em·broi·der, verb (used with object)un·em·broi·dered, adjective

Synonyms for embroider

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3. elaborate, exaggerate, color, fancify.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for embroider

bedeck, knit, decorate, embellish, stitch, braid, quilt, deck, color, pattern, work, ornament, gild, beautify, garnish, overdo, overstate, distend, lie, stretch

Examples from the Web for embroider

Contemporary Examples of embroider

He does not feel the need to embroider every note with a facial expression or a flick of the wrist.
Is Mick Jagger Too Old to Rock?
Andrew Romano
July 26, 2013
It also takes years of training to be able to sew, embroider, bead, and otherwise embellish these clothes.
Chanel, Armani, and Givenchy Present Their Haute-Couture Collections in Paris
Robin Givhan
July 4, 2012
When Christian tries to speak for himself and says "I love you," Roxane instructs him to "Embroider it."
Sex Advice from Cyrano
Ben Crair
July 23, 2009

Historical Examples of embroider

Maidens of the first families were selected to embroider the sacred peplus.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
I learnt to sing rondeaux and to embroider handkerchiefs for my mother.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
They agreed to embroider a pair of slippers for her—to do the work themselves.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
The girls used to sit about indoors and embroider—oh, everlastingly!
Four Days
Hetty Hemenway
You see at home, when I get my work done, I knit or crochet or embroider.
Maw's Vacation
Emerson Hough

British Dictionary definitions for embroider

embroider

verb

to do decorative needlework (upon)
to add fictitious or fanciful detail to (a story)
to add exaggerated or improbable details to (an account of an event, etc)

Derived Formsembroiderer, noun

Word Origin for embroider

C15: from Old French embroder; see em- en- 1, broider

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 embroider

late 14c., from Anglo-French enbrouder, from en- "in" (see en- (1)) + broisder "embroider," from Frankish *brozdon, from Proto-Germanic *bruzdajanan. Spelling with -oi- is from c.1600, perhaps by influence of broiden, irregular alternative Middle English past participle of braid (v.). Related: Embroidered; embroidering.