espouse
Americanverb
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to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc)
to espouse socialism
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archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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espousesimple
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espousessimple
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have espousedperfect
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has espousedperfect
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am espousingprogressive
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are espousingprogressive
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is espousingprogressive
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have been espousingperfect progressive
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has been espousingperfect progressive
Past
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espousedsimple
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had espousedperfect
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was espousingprogressive
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were espousingprogressive
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had been espousingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing espouse
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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:
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
“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
Campaigning in the Wisconsin primary in Milwaukee one morning, I heard Carter espouse one position on school busing that seemed to please a predominately Black church congregation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
No one could live out here in the country and espouse it!”
From Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
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
San Francisco-based satellite operator Planet Labs espouses a mission “to accelerate humanity toward a more sustainable, secure, and prosperous world by illuminating environmental and social change.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
The overall mission Peretti espouses in his memo also runs up against some striking self-contradictions.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025
Courageous in his commitment to scientific truth, he espouses opinions that can strike us as elitist and illiberal today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
The same views have been expressed by Mr. Lyell; views which he espouses, not merely as the result of his own reasonings, but of the prevalent conclusions of the highest geological authorities.
From Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race by Arthur James Johnes
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
He has also espoused a more collegiate style of governance, delegating some particularly sensitive topics to his senior clergy.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
He espoused many of the same ideals as an elected official in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, before leaving the political stage for reality TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Despite their past wariness of crypto, banks have long espoused the potential of the blockchain technology that underpins digital currencies to streamline their businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
One of the most common arguments espoused by the antisuffrage forces was that women were not emotionally strong enough to handle the responsibility of voting and were thus incapable of making sound political decisions.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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
Just when we get to a point where conspiracy theorizing dies down a bit, here comes Kim Kardashian espousing moon landing speculation.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025
In her Friday letter, MIT’s Kornbluth said the school already does much of what the compact requests, including rewarding merit by mandating college entrance exams and espousing free expression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Here she takes aim at influencers espousing wellness for likes, their followers and the whole industry of commodifying belief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
Forty years later he’d still be espousing ideas put forth by Armstrong and the Plain Truth.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
