embrace
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug.
-
to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly.
to embrace an idea.
-
to avail oneself of.
to embrace an opportunity.
- Synonyms:
- seize
-
to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc.).
to embrace Buddhism.
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to take in with the eye or the mind.
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to encircle; surround; enclose.
a secret garden embraced by wild shrubs.
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to include or contain.
An encyclopedia embraces a great number of subjects.
- Antonyms:
- exclude
verb (used without object)
noun
-
embraces
plural
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(also intr) (of a person) to take or clasp (another person) in the arms, or (of two people) to clasp each other, as in affection, greeting, etc; hug
-
to accept (an opportunity, challenge, etc) willingly or eagerly
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to take up (a new idea, faith, etc); adopt
to embrace Judaism
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to comprise or include as an integral part
geology embraces the science of mineralogy
-
to encircle or enclose
noun
-
the act of embracing
-
euphemistic (often plural) sexual intercourse
verb
Synonym Usage
See include.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of embrace1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French embracier, equivalent to em- em- 1 + bracier “to embrace,” derivative of brace “the two arms”; see brace
Origin of embrace2
First recorded in 1420–1475; late Middle English: “to influence, prejudice, bribe (a jury),” perhaps the same word as embrace 1
Explanation
To embrace something is to welcome it with open arms, hold, hug, accept completely. You might embrace your sweetheart, or even changes in technology. Embrace is from the French verb embrasser, which started out meaning "to clasp in the arms" (but now includes kissing). You embrace someone by giving her a giant hug, and when you embrace a new idea, it's like your brain gives it a hug. The noun and verb form are similar: If you embrace someone who isn't your sweetheart, you might get caught in an embrace. In Henry IV, Shakespeare writes about a really, really tight embrace: "I will embrace him with a soldier's arm/That he shall shrink under my courtesy."
Vocabulary lists containing embrace
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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:
Johnson, for instance, says the firm’s research with the the Immersive Experience Institute has shown a hunger in younger generations to embrace spaces such as the Rainforest Cafe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Clarkson also appeared to embrace the gift of time with her family on the picturesque property.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Similarly, we both embrace holy tradition, including the Bible, the church fathers and the seven ancient ecumenical councils, and we venerate the cross, Mary, saints, icons and holy relics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The network has around 200 members and "almost all" embrace the spooky season with a mix of "maize mazes, after-dark trails, scare attractions and pumpkin festivals".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
He tried again and again, profiting from his mistakes, and finally he felt he had a likeness of his wife real enough to embrace.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
A prominent economist doesn’t fear artificial intelligence, but fully embraces it in portfolios.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The kitchen, meanwhile, embraces classic New York City style with dark wood cabinetry, ample storage, and modern appliances.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
"Imagine a grandfather who silently embraces you every day, listens to you, and has always been strong and full of life," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Dostoevsky follows the narrator over four nights and a morning during which he ceases living in his imagination and embraces reality for the first time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
All the others were crowding in, now, to the brazen house—Poseidon who embraces earth, and Hermes the runner, and Apollo, lord of Distance.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
That desire for privacy appears to align with the quieter lifestyle Carrey has embraced away from Hollywood in recent years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
On Wednesday night, protesters in the square wept and embraced each other after learning the news.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Theaker did not appear to react as she read her statement and the woman was embraced and supported by her family as she returned to the public gallery.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The hoofed Highlanders have been embraced as an unofficial mascot on campus, with Reddit threads dedicated to donkey spotting and burro plushies for sale in the campus store.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Following Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson embraced the antipoverty rhetoric with great passion, calling for an “unconditional war on poverty,” in his State of the Union Address in January 1964.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Early in the film, Evans explains that they wanted to give the filmmakers extraordinary access to their daily lives, embracing what he calls “radical transparency.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
For Netflix, that means looking outside of its once-unimpeachable red walls and embracing more reluctant partnerships with rivals, while cutting costs and overhauling old practices wherever possible.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lula has even dubbed himself the "selfie king," embracing informal, direct-to-camera campaign videos.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Atkinson did, however, point out that the media landscape has changed, and suggested there is a place for embracing influencers and content creators to ensure Wimbledon remains relevant.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
From them, it should be possible to derive a complete system of knowledge embracing every aspect of the natural world, just as one can deduce the whole of Euclidean geometry from five axioms.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
