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
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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
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are huggingprogressive
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is huggingprogressive
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have been huggingperfect progressive
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has been huggingperfect progressive
Past
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huggedsimple
-
had huggedperfect
-
was huggingprogressive
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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 club also posted a video of Coutinho walking into the dressing room where he receives a hug from Neymar and says "if it's a dream, I don't want to wake up".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The first night when I went to give the 4 year old a good night hug and kiss, she recoiled and said I was “furry.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Multiple parents recounted a Christmas photo-op in which an ICE agent dressed as Santa Claus shoved away children who tried to hug him, then vanished with his treats the moment the cameras disappeared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The brighter streaks that hug the crater's rim were fresh material excavated from deeper underground.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Maggie will be waiting at the port of New York for you. She will lift you up, hug you. She will be so happy to see you.”
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
He didn’t sit for long because Cynthia Erivo and Andy Garcia showed up and there were more hugs and handshakes and hellos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Reporting on their "emotional reunion", Reuters said "tears, hugs and laughter punctuated their meeting... followed by their first selfie together".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Utopia exists between the care and the kisses and the how you doin’s, it becomes flesh and bone in the embrace of full body hugs and smiles so wide they could devour the sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Last summer, a record 23 cargo ships transited the Northern Sea Route, which hugs Russia’s north coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
I moved to a different city with no advance notice, and Skye didn’t send me any virtual hugs or kisses.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
On Sphere’s escalators, grey-bearded lifers hugged in shredded battle jackets; tween girls in “Master of Puppets” hoodies drummed along to every fill; accents came from eastern Europe, Latin America and all the world over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Roses are placed on the tables where supporters nibbled from snack plates, hugged, all smiles, and sipped from glasses of sparkling wine or beer.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
We hugged goodbye as she packed her boxes, labeled “One World Trade Center.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Others hugged and held hands - one family member even embraced one of the prosecutors in the case.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The family members hugged each other tight and wished each other well.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
As he spoke, mothers in the back rows swayed from side to side, hugging exhausted toddlers who had missed nap time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
The U.S. military has provided some protection to tankers moving through the strait hugging Oman’s coast, and ship-to-ship transfers have been a growing way to get crude flowing out of the Middle East again.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Betr isn’t counting on hugging it out with Ellin, responding in part, “We appreciate Doug watching the ad and helping promote it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“I was worried about getting a crazy neighbor, but you seem great,” she added, hugging me tightly and handing me a tray of sandwiches to share with my friends who were helping with the move.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
When all four of them were safe, they collapsed near the edge of the water, hugging and crying and shivering violently from the cold.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
