embody
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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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:
Few nations embody that evolution more than Morocco.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
"It's almost like he is trying to reach for this glorified manhood that he cannot embody anymore," said Sabrina Karim, a political science professor at Cornell University.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
His failures were many and spectacular, but in 1940, as Britain fought alone against Hitler’s Germany, he drew on a lifetime’s writing about greatness to embody it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Being able to embody her, that approach and attitude towards it, is something that’s quite interesting to me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
For a moment I was disoriented, seized by panic; could a ghost embody itself through wavelengths, electronic dots, a picture tube?
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
For those unfamiliar with the Harry Potter universe, each House embodies a trait: courage for Gryffindor, loyalty for Hufflepuff, wisdom for Ravenclaw and ambition for Slytherin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Deeply influenced by his Cuban grandfather, Rubio says he embodies the American dream.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Alexia Putellas embodies the pinnacle of talent, dedication and vision in women's football," said Kang.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Whether she directs that talent toward good or evil varies from episode to episode, but she embodies the scrappy, anarchic spirit of old-time New York.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 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
Finally, we offer this series as a provocation: So many of you have spent the past year attending No Kings protests, at which you embodied, physically, what it means to reject monarchical power.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Those ideas are embodied in a thoughtful, thematically arranged miscellany of artifacts, with deliberate juxtapositions between past and present.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Beyond wearing glasses, Bruccoleri also embodied Mary through her actions and posture.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
The live-wire wit and idiosyncratic verve that she embodied in “Reds” and “Something’s Gotta Give” are very much on display here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Repeat until the rhyme becomes embodied, and flows freely.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
"Off the field, he carried himself with humility and integrity, embodying the very best values of our game."
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
There can be value in embodying machismo on-screen, if it’s done right.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
“This union of artistry and vision transformed the property into a singular masterpiece, embodying the glamour and creative force of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” the description goes on.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
He has spent the last decade effectively embodying Marlon Brando’s famous quote in “On the Waterfront”: He coulda been a contender.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
It became a kind of secret code embodying their ambitions.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
