hug
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A close embrace.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
huhgIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhʌɡ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A close embrace, especially when charged with an emotion such as affection, joy, relief, lust, anger, aggression, compassion, and the like, as opposed to being characterized by formality, equivocation or ambivalence (a half-embrace or "little hug").
A particular grip in wrestling.
verb
transitive or reciprocal
To embrace by holding closely, especially in the arms.
intransitive
To cling closely together.
transitive
To stay close to.
Hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
transitivefigurative
To hold fast; to cling to; to cherish.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Act stealthily or secretively.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.