embrace
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To hug someone, or to accept an idea gladly.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehmbraysSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əm-
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug.
To seize (something) eagerly or with alacrity; to accept or take up with cordiality; to welcome.
To enfold, to include (ideas, principles, etc.); to encompass.
To encircle; to enclose, to encompass.
To accept (someone) as a friend; to accept (someone's) help gladly.
To attempt to influence (a court, jury, etc.) corruptly; to practise embracery.
noun
An act of putting arms around someone and bringing the person close to the chest; a hug.
An act of enfolding or including.
Full acceptance (of something).
An enclosure partially or fully surrounding someone or something.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug.
Used this way, embrace is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use embrace
- “His willing embrace of new ideas.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.