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embroider

[ em-broi-der ]
/ ɛmˈbrɔɪ dər /
SEE 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).

Words related to embroider

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

Words nearby embroider

embrittle, embrittlement, embrocate, embrocation, embroglio, embroider, embroideress, embroidery, embroidery needle, embroil, embrown

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)

OTHER WORDS FROM embroider

em·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. 2020

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 forms of embroider

embroiderer, 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