embroider
[ em-broi-der ]
/ ɛmˈbrɔɪ dər /
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).
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Nearby words
embrittle, embrittlement, embrocate, embrocation, embroglio, embroider, embroideress, embroidery, embroidery needle, embroil, embroiled
Origin of embroider
SYNONYMS FOR embroider
Related formsem·broi·der·er, nouno·ver·em·broi·der, verb (used with object)un·em·broi·dered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for embroider
British Dictionary definitions for embroider
embroider
/ (ɪmˈbrɔɪdə) /
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
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Word Origin and History for embroider
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper