verb
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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
- espouser noun
Etymology
Origin of espouse
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French espouser , from Latin spōnsāre “to betroth, espouse”
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.
“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
Claude itself admitted, in a recent interaction with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that even AI companies that espouse a moral commitment to something like privacy shouldn’t necessarily be trusted.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
Although government lawyers who espouse such theories should not be, on those grounds, subject to professional discipline, they can—and, I think, should—generally be shunned by the profession.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2025
"This is wholly unacceptable and does not align with the values and behaviours that we espouse or endorse as a service," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025
An obdurate and intractable pupil usually has a family to espouse her view of the case; and the neighbors share the impression of the family; and visiting guests share the opinions of the neighbors.
From The Story of a Life by Ellis, J. Breckenridge (John Breckenridge)
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.
