hug
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
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
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had huggedperfect
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was huggingprogressive
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were huggingprogressive
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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 pair shared a light-hearted face-off, exchanging jokes before embracing in a hug to bring the news conference to a close.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
His parting gift was a silver medal, a handshake from President Trump and a hug from the King of Spain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Economic crisis, political crisis. Soccer is something that unites us. We say there’s no better hug than after Argentina has scored a goal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Apparently, all he needed was a big, giant group hug.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Pilot Mike Cairns leaned forward to hug Sue as she and the dogs climbed inside.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
More than a third of the 101 vessels that transited the strait used a lane that hugs the Iranian coast, according to commercial-ship tracker Kpler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
This time, the smiles, the hugs, the radiant joy filling Atlanta Stadium could have powered the entire state of Georgia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Following her concert in Mindelo, Ceuzany greeted fans and friends with hugs before people dispersed into the windy night.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
"For me that meant no bedtime hugs, no bedtime stories, no Christmases, no birthdays," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Teresita hugs me as soon as she sees us at the doorway.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
After the news conference, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hugged Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente, who was one of the instructors when Scaloni gained his Uefa Pro coaching licence in Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It echoed an attack two weeks ago that was aimed at shutting down traffic in a route that hugged the southern side of the waterway along the Omani coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Their efforts were rewarded Thursday when Gil emerged from the rubble, as rescuers cheered, hugged and crowded around the man they worked so hard to save.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
And he was, in my young mind, my nice daddy; he hugged me and put Band-Aids on my skinned knees and sang Sinatra songs to me.
From Salon ● May 16, 2001
Then Daddy picked me up and said, “Oh, Ida B,” and Mama hugged both of us.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
“Neither of us is big on hugging, but we hugged, both of us smiling.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
"It was incredible, my son and I were jumping up and down hugging each other singing Wonderwall - it was just a dream," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
She added that she now felt jealous when seeing others with their mothers explaining: "The closest thing to a hug is hugging a grave."
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Iran insists ships transiting the strait pass through a corridor near its own shores, instead of the opposite side of the waterway, hugging the Omani coast.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Anya screamed and clasped Håkon to her, hugging him and Ivan in the middle of the road as the horses galloped past.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
