espouse

American  

[ih-spouz, ih-spous] / 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

This may have been one of the reasons that influenced the Indians throughout the Revolution to espouse the British cause.

From How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their Formation by Martha Woodroof Hiden

Mr. King espouses a refreshing perspective on his craft that is anything but preachy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

The overall mission Peretti espouses in his memo also runs up against some striking self-contradictions.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025

It enables India to work with some of its closest friends in an expanding organisation that espouses principles close to India’s heart, from multilateralism to embracing the Global South.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2024

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

Miss Smith immediately espouses the cause of the injured Bosio, whom she has often declared she could listen to "forever," and calls on Harry Brown to come to the rescue of the cantatrice's reputation.

From Physiology of The Opera by John H. Swaby

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

Here, punk bands truly espoused the music’s DIY ethos, and were more culturally diverse.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Or was it simply the "art of the deal," as espoused in Trump's co-written 1987 book describing his technique of making outrageous demands to extract unexpected concessions in business.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026

Ignatius lumbered over to the picket fence, abandoning the hopeless cause espoused by the wagon, and viewed the oil paintings and pastels and watercolors strung there.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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

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

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