espouse

American  

[ih-spauz, ih-spaus] / ɪˈspaʊz, ɪˈspaʊs /

verb (used with object)

• espouses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• espoused,
  past participle,  past
• espousing
  present participle

1. to make one's own; adopt or embrace, as a cause.

   Synonyms:

   advocate, champion, support

2. Archaic. to marry.

3. Archaic. to give or promise to give (a woman) in marriage.

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espouse British  

/ ɪˈspaʊz /

verb

1. to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc)

   to espouse socialism

2. archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• espouser
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• espousing
  present
• espoused
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• espouse
  simple
• espouses
  simple
• have espoused
  perfect
• has espoused
  perfect
• am espousing
  progressive
• are espousing
  progressive
• is espousing
  progressive
• have been espousing
  perfect progressive
• has been espousing
  perfect progressive

Past

• espoused
  simple
• had espoused
  perfect
• was espousing
  progressive
• were espousing
  progressive
• had been espousing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will espouse
  simple
• will have espoused
  perfect
• will be espousing
  progressive
• will have been espousing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of espouse

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French espouser , from Latin spōnsāre “to betroth, espouse”

Explanation

Use the verb espouse to describe the actions of someone who lives according to specific beliefs, such as your friends who espouse environmentalism and as a result walk whenever possible instead of taking the car. You can see the word spouse in espouse, so you may be wondering what husbands and wives have to do with it. Originally espouse did mean "to marry," but its meaning has evolved to include other long-term commitments as well, such as support for a principle or a cause. Similar to marriage, if you espouse a belief system, the idea is that you've chosen to wed yourself to it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

espouse espouses espoused espousing

She is a "frequent social media user" who has used the platforms to "espouse anti-American messages", according to a charging document filed by the FBI on Thursday.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

"I have no doubt whatsoever that the people who espouse theories like those promoted by this individual will continue to disseminate them," Nunez added, referring to some French politicians.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Whatever agendas they may personally espouse, these writers are too alert to the messiness of history and human nature to be rigidly ideological in their work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

“Maybe the government should be slower to espouse programs that it thinks will be the new wave,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

He asked permission of Hoolagoo to espouse her, and, by the directions of that prince, the wedding was celebrated with great solemnity.

From Secret Societies of the Middle Ages by Thomas Keightley

He largely espouses esoteric prognostications of how 8 billion human deaths could be wrought by hostile machines, and even though many that admit this outcome is unlikely, it takes up a lot of their attention.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

Opponents say RSS espouses Muslim hate, while the event organizer bills the gathering as a celebration of shared humanity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

It espouses a very conservative view of the family, which it says should consist of "a father, a mother and as many children as possible."

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

The drink may be clickbait, but it also speaks to a growing lifestyle trend that espouses going back to basics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024

No wonder that he makes in his Fabrica some biting remarks to the effect that he who espouses science must not marry a wife; he cannot be true to both.

From The Popes and Science The History of the Papal Relations to Science During the Middle Ages and Down to Our Own Time by James J. Walsh

For a city that’s espoused much pride in its military history, the nature of the theft was as much an insult as it was an injury.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

While studying history in Switzerland, home to a large Albanian diaspora, he became frustrated with the policy of peaceful resistance espoused by the late Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Jørgensen worked in a co-working space shared with colleagues and espoused “the Novo Nordisk way,” telling “60 Minutes”: “The values are based on ordinary human decent values.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Three years later, Robinson and Meeropol collaborated on “The House I Live In,” which espoused similar values of patriotism and racial, religious and cultural diversity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Ironically, despite Bobby’s unwillingness to follow principles espoused by the Church, his life still revolved around it.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

They’re doing things that would’ve given Don Draper heart palpitations—laundry, bath time, their daughters’ hair—while espousing fairly traditional views on religion, discipline and masculinity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

And repetition – espousing the same ideas again and again – was an effective tactic.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

Perhaps the most committed advocate is Dutchman Wim Hof, who has made a career of espousing its purported health benefits.

From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026

He added: "Anyone espousing extremist views or who expresses support for terrorism, or racial or religious hatred of any kind, including antisemitism, who is not a British citizen, should be removed from this country."

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

Forty years later he’d still be espousing ideas put forth by Armstrong and the Plain Truth.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• adopt
• advocate
• defend
• embrace
• maintain
• uphold