embody
Americanverb (used with object)
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embodies,
present (3rd person singular)
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embodied,
past participle, past
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embodying
present participle
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to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form.
to embody an idea in an allegorical painting.
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to provide with a body incarnate; make corporeal.
to embody a spirit.
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to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.
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to embrace or comprise.
verb
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to give a tangible, bodily, or concrete form to (an abstract concept)
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to be an example of or express (an idea, principle, etc), esp in action
his gentleness embodies a Christian ideal
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(often foll by in) to collect or unite in a comprehensive whole, system, etc; comprise; include
all the different essays were embodied in one long article
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to invest (a spiritual entity) with a body or with bodily form; render incarnate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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embodysimple
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embodiessimple
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have embodiedperfect
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has embodiedperfect
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am embodyingprogressive
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are embodyingprogressive
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is embodyingprogressive
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have been embodyingperfect progressive
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has been embodyingperfect progressive
Past
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embodiedsimple
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had embodiedperfect
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was embodyingprogressive
-
were embodyingprogressive
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had been embodyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embody
Explanation
To embody a role is to fill it completely. If a high schooler seems to embody the character of Macbeth, his performance might make the audience forget they're watching a dorky 15-year-old with braces. If you embody someone, you put him or her "in-body," as when an actor gives a complete and compelling representation of a character. You can also use embody to describe character traits you see in a person, like, “He embodies truth,” or, “She is the embodiment of goodness.”
Vocabulary lists containing embody
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Content Summary G.2: Regionalization
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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:
Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren have found they quite enjoy mob life, as they embody the dangerous and volatile criminal boss couple Conrad and Maeve Harrigan in "MobLand."
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
PepsiCo used to embody everything investors prized in a stock: dependable brands, reliable earnings growth and steady returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
"Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan's game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals," Joopiter said in the auction posting.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Short came to embody the inverse of that picture, the shaded gloom lurking in places that escape sunshiny illumination.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
She began to associate with Ralph Myers, a white man with a badly disfigured face and lengthy criminal record who seemed to perfectly embody her fall from grace.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Maybe no scene better embodies Lee’s exquisite communion with his characters than his last one, which supplies them with a hint of grace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Said to have impressed with his in-depth presentations during the recruitment process, he embodies "a new generation with sincere humility", Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said of him at the time.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
This is the theory that the original meaning of the Constitution embodies the thinking of a particular philosopher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
They may reach arguably loftier artistic heights with “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper,” “The White Album,” or “Abbey Road” — take your pick — but “Rubber Soul” embodies the group’s decisive turn towards self-conscious greatness.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
My relative, Chief Mdingi, suggested the name Zenani, which means “What have you brought to the world?” — a poetic name that embodies a challenge, suggesting that one must contribute something to society.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Both authors are most persuasive when they treat smell as embodied knowledge rather than decoration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
El-Sayed connects his belief to a national crisis of faith embodied in Washington: “We don’t have faith in our future; we don’t have faith that we can actually fix things.”
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
He fully embodied the mood of this character immediately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The pilot Smit Machchhar embodied the "highest degrees of courage, responsibility, and care for human life", the UAE official said in a post on X.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Most of all, though, she liked the sense of dignity and purity embodied by the Muslim women she knew.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Magyar seamlessly switches from channeling her inner Paula Abdul while leading line dances, to embodying Howie Mandel or Steve Harvey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Heaton, meanwhile, spent most of the last decade embodying the introverted Jonathan Byers on “Stranger Things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
And he put his own political brand - steady, competent and embodying the highest moral standards - front and centre.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
There can be value in embodying machismo on-screen, if it’s done right.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Curiously, though, environmentalists also describe Native American history as embodying precisely the opposite lesson: how to live in a spiritual balance with Nature.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
