hug
Americanverb (used with object)
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hugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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hugged,
past participle, past
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hugging
present participle
-
to clasp tightly in the arms, especially with affection; embrace.
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to cling firmly or fondly to; cherish.
to hug an opinion.
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to keep close to, as in sailing, walking, or in moving along or alongside of.
to hug the shore;
to hug the road.
verb (used without object)
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hugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hugged,
past participle, past
-
hugging
present participle
noun
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hugs
plural
verb
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(also intr) to clasp (another person or thing) tightly or (of two people) to cling close together; embrace
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to keep close to a shore, kerb, etc
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to cling to (beliefs, etc); cherish
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to congratulate (oneself); be delighted with (oneself)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hugsimple
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hugssimple
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have huggedperfect
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has huggedperfect
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am huggingprogressive
-
are huggingprogressive
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is huggingprogressive
-
have been huggingperfect progressive
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has been huggingperfect progressive
Past
-
huggedsimple
-
had huggedperfect
-
was huggingprogressive
-
were huggingprogressive
-
had been huggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hug
First recorded in 1560–70; perhaps from Old Norse hugga “to soothe, console”; akin to Old English hogian “to care for”
Explanation
To hug someone is to warmly embrace or grasp them with your arms. Some families hug each other all the time, while others save their hugs for special occasions. Celebrate National Hug Your Cat Day if you want to, but your cat may be less enthusiastic about it than you are. Hug is both a verb and a noun: when you hug your cat, she gets a hug. You can also hug your knees, holding them close to your body, and your skinny jeans can be said to hug your legs, or fit tightly. Hug probably comes from the Old Norse hugga, "to comfort."
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:
The brighter streaks that hug the crater's rim were fresh material excavated from deeper underground.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
He had time for a hug afterwards with Rachel Reeves, his chancellor and Downing Street neighbour during his time in office.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
But dogs—Canis familiaris—they welcome the arms, the hug, the love.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Give Papa Harry, Aunt Karen, and my dad a hug for me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
“I wanted to stay with you. I begged Lou Ann,” I tell her, leaning down to hug her.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Tehran has refused to let ships travel any route other than one which hugs the Iranian coast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Eight-time British national champion Lucy Campbell wrote: "The world is going to miss that smile so much. Sending my love and hugs to you all."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
At a meeting later that month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hugs and kisses him and tells everyone “how great I am.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Tehran wants ships to go through the strait’s northern passage, which hugs Iran’s coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Ray reaches over and half hugs me, but I stiffen, so he knocks me gently on the head with his fist.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Niewiadoma-Phinney, finishing second, hugged it out with Vollering and the boss of Vollering’s team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Oman angered Iranian officials when it set up a U.S.-backed corridor for shipping that hugged its coastline without Iranian approval.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"There were lots of tears," said Urmston, "then we just all hugged."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He hugged a nurse and was clapped by staff on his arrival at the hospital, before talking to some of the young patients.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
He took off his backpack and hugged it against his chest like it was a life jacket.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Vikram, an award-winning actor from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was seen hugging and playing with a lar gibbon in a now-deleted video posted on Instagram on Monday.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“After the meeting … we’re hugging, and we’re all on the same page, trying to fight this,” he said.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
I could watch videos of him hugging his mentor and former teammate Ronaldinho or Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni all day long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Everyone’s happy and excited—they’re hugging and kissing us,” said Maryna Zharkova, who has been working at the market for 25 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
We eat and drink with gratitude, mothers at last tending to the babies, the elders sinking fast into sleep, hugging the earth.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
