embroider
Americanverb (used with object)
-
embroiders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
embroidered,
past participle, past
-
embroidering
present participle
-
to decorate with ornamental needlework.
-
to produce or form in needlework.
-
to adorn or embellish rhetorically, especially with ornate language or fictitious details.
He embroidered the account of the shipwreck to hold his listeners' interest.
- Synonyms:
- fancify, color, exaggerate, elaborate
verb (used without object)
-
embroiders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
embroidered,
past participle, past
-
embroidering
present participle
-
to do embroidery.
-
to add embellishments; exaggerate (often followed by on orupon ).
verb
-
to do decorative needlework (upon)
-
to add fictitious or fanciful detail to (a story)
-
to add exaggerated or improbable details to (an account of an event, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
embroidersimple
-
embroiderssimple
-
have embroideredperfect
-
has embroideredperfect
-
am embroideringprogressive
-
are embroideringprogressive
-
is embroideringprogressive
-
have been embroideringperfect progressive
-
has been embroideringperfect progressive
Past
-
embroideredsimple
-
had embroideredperfect
-
was embroideringprogressive
-
were embroideringprogressive
-
had been embroideringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of embroider
1350–1400; em- 1 + broider; replacing Middle English embroderen, frequentative of embroden < Middle French embro ( u ) der, equivalent to em- em- 1 + Old French brosder, derivative of brosd < Germanic ( see brad)
Explanation
To embroider means to decorate with needlework. Picture your great grandmother's pillowcases or Hester Prynne's famous scarlet letter "A" — both of those objects are probably embroidered. To embroider refers to a type of ornamentation or needlework, but another usage of the word embroider means to embellish the truth. For example, if a fisherman sitting on the dock tells you about the 38-inch striped bass he almost caught this morning, he may have found a way to embroider the truth.
Vocabulary lists containing embroider
Inside Out & Back Again
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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:
She had always been creative, experimenting with watercolors and learning to sew and embroider at a young age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
When those employees left, they had to learn how to screen-print and embroider themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Season 2 feels like much more of an ensemble affair as showrunner Tony Gilroy expands the show’s focus beyond one character’s moral development to more thoroughly embroider others that are just as worthwhile.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025
He taught himself to sew and embroider, sculpt with thermoplastics, and even tan leather.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
It had taken Grandma months of work to embroider hers.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
O’Connor’s monologue focused on two things those unfamiliar with his acting should know about him: that he has a reputation as a “soft boy,” someone who embroiders, scrapbooks and gardens like an “average 65-year-old woman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025
At the same workshop, Getu Derza, 48, carefully embroiders colourful silk threads into intricate patterns.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
Los Angeles artist Diane Meyer embroiders family photos like distorted pixelations to ask questions about memory.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
The supplier embroiders school logos in-house on a range of products including jumpers, sweatshirts, polo shirts and school bags.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2023
Gisa embroiders at the table, making something beautiful and exquisite and entirely beyond my comprehension.
From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard
Auctioneer Rogers Jones Co said the two items, along with a Pratesi shawl embroidered with "Hilda and David love Elizabeth" as a gift, are expected to be sold for up to £1,300.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
We were dressed in our rancho libertarian best: jeans, embroidered leather belts, pearl snap shirts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Probably designed and made soon after 1066 at Canterbury, it is not a true tapestry, but an embroidered narrative, and the oldest and most complete one we have.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
And in the heart of the capital, near the British Museum, a pub has hung up an eight-metre embroidered "Beer Tapestry" recounting the history of brewing in a playful tribute to the more violent original.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
She was dressed for a party, in a bloodred jacket, sleek embroidered pants, and six-inch high heels.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Artisans at the London fashion house Safiyaa spent 150 hours embroidering Anderson’s bespoke silk reception outfit.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Kit men spent the 24 hours before Argentina faced England embroidering those shirts with numbers and the national crest.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The mother-of-two said she works all day sewing clothes and embroidering but she can't afford baby formula for her youngest.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
An A-line grey wool collarless coat had pink peonies of varying sizes splashed over it, while a shorter white wool cape was adorned with similar detailed pink and yellow peony embroidering.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
One of the women was embroidering a wedding sari, coiling gold thread along its borders and fastening it with the tiniest stitches imaginable.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
