embrace
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to take in with the eye or the mind.
-
to encircle; surround; enclose.
a secret garden embraced by wild shrubs.
-
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
-
to take up (a new idea, faith, etc); adopt
to embrace Judaism
-
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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"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:
He might look intimidating, but his smile and willingness to participate in school gatherings propels others to immediately embrace him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
She said she and Jacob, who have been together for 11 years, were proud to see their family and friends embrace the thrifting theme.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
A commonwealth may be unlikely, but Chen, like some in Taiwan, believes it is possible to embrace more than one identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
It disavowed diversity efforts to win the FCC’s blessing but now is facing calls in California to embrace such commitments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
She couldn’t move until her father came and pulled her into his strong embrace.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Ultimately, they conclude, finding a new constitutional meaning that actually embraces the public’s true understanding of the document requires returning to our old understanding.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
It recedes into the past for comfort and illumination, then embraces the present, where Laferte is hailed as a trendsetter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Pentagon officials have said they want to reduce reliance on individual tech companies as the military embraces AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Byrd, on the other hand, embraces it all, even without the hazy glow of ’80s-era DV cameras.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Think of all the embraces, all the private jokes, customs, greetings, names, dreams, all the shared knowledge and capacity of a black family injected into that vessel of flesh and bone.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
And then in Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Lisa Cook case, he kind of embraced those in broad form and turned them into the law.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
In a show of respect, the pair embraced before Machado Garry raised Makhachev's arm in victory.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Whether he is pulling a pint, tossing a builder's helmet in the air or running with Olympic medallist Mo Farah, the UK's new prime minister Andy Burnham has embraced social media with a deft touch.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Asked whether he had embraced Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement, Rubio said he supported it.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 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
And the court came very close to embracing it.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
He believes the audience could be broader than former users, with younger generations embracing the early-2000s aesthetics they never experienced firsthand.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“AI is very likely to make the U.S. economy more productive. If investors believe that, they should be buying the equal-weighted S&P 500 and companies embracing AI in their operations.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
Its secret formula, the city says, is embracing businesses, helping the homeless and keeping streets clean, to make downtown a go-to destination for more shoppers, diners and commuters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
She sprang from the couch, embracing her unrecognized son.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
