Library / English Dictionary

EMBRACE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A close affectionate and protective acceptance

Example:

in the bosom of the family

Synonyms:

bosom; embrace

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("embrace" is a kind of...):

acceptance; acceptation; adoption; espousal (the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception)

Derivation:

embrace (take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)

Synonyms:

embrace; embracement; embracing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("embrace" is a kind of...):

clasp; clench; clutch; clutches; grasp; grip; hold (the act of grasping)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "embrace"):

cuddle; nestle; snuggle (a close and affectionate (and often prolonged) embrace)

clinch; hug; squeeze (a tight or amorous embrace)

Derivation:

embrace (hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The state of taking in or encircling

Example:

an island in the embrace of the sea

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("embrace" is a kind of...):

inclusion (the state of being included)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own

Example:

They adopted the Jewish faith

Synonyms:

adopt; embrace; espouse; sweep up

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "embrace" is one way to...):

accept (consider or hold as true)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embrace"):

fasten on; hook on; latch on; seize on; take up (adopt)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

embrace (a close affectionate and protective acceptance)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness

Example:

He hugged her close to him

Synonyms:

bosom; embrace; hug; squeeze

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "embrace" is one way to...):

clasp (hold firmly and tightly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "embrace"):

clinch (embrace amorously)

cuddle (hold (a person or thing) close, as for affection, comfort, or warmth)

interlock; lock (become engaged or intermeshed with one another)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

Sam and Sue embrace

Sam cannot embrace Sue

Derivation:

embrace; embracement; embracing (the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory

Example:

this should cover everyone in the group

Synonyms:

comprehend; cover; embrace; encompass

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "embrace" is one way to...):

include (have as a part, be made up out of)

Verb group:

address; cover; deal; handle; plow; treat (act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

He took kind leave of me, and embraced me at parting, which I bore as well as I could.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

But there was no warmth in the embrace, no caress in the contact.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would give pleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliest emotion, that she was the happiest creature in the world.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

A very, very kind embrace, and some agitation of manner, accompanied these words.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

The embraces, tears, and promises of the parting fair ones may be fancied.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Pressure to feel upbeat can make you feel downbeat, while embracing your darker moods can actually make you feel better in the long run.

(Embracing Darker Moods Makes You Feel Better, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

I saw Maud, my Maud, straining and struggling and crushed in the embrace of Wolf Larsen’s arms.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

He pushed his way in, seized me in his mighty arms, hugged me in his bear’s embrace, covered me with kisses, and implored me to come away with him.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Back and forth the bull tossed his great palmated antlers, branching to fourteen points and embracing seven feet within the tips.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Instead of combating the heat, two University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineers have embraced it as an alternative energy source that would allow computing at ultra-high temperatures.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)