embarrassem‧bar‧rass /ɪmˈbærəs/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 
Word Origin Examples
He didn’t want to embarrass her by asking questions.2to do something that causes problems for a government, political organization, or politician, and makes them look bad: The revelations in the press have embarrassed the government.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINembarrass
Verb TableOrigin:
1600-1700 French embarrasser, from Spanish embarazar, perhaps from Vulgar Latin barra ‘bar’VERB TABLE
embarrass
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | embarrass |
| he, she, it | embarrasses | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | embarrassed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have embarrassed |
| he, she, it | has embarrassed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had embarrassed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will embarrass |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have embarrassed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am embarrassing |
| he, she, it | is embarrassing | |
| you, we, they | are embarrassing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was embarrassing |
| you, we, they | were embarrassing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been embarrassing |
| he, she, it | has been embarrassing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been embarrassing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be embarrassing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been embarrassing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- I hope I didn't embarrass you in front of your friends.
- I hope my little dance didn't embarrass you.
- One woman was trying to embarrass me by asking me questions I couldn't answer.
- The release of these secret documents has embarrassed the administration.
- But the Government has been severely embarrassed by the burgeoning cost of the programme.
- I was embarrassed for a moment by my immodesty.
- It will only embarrass the Church.
- They'd do it deliberately to embarrass the Government.
Longman Language Activatorto make someone feel embarrassed► embarrassing
Collocations something that is embarrassing makes you feel embarrassed : · It was so embarrassing - I couldn't remember his name!· The doctor asked me a lot of embarrassing questions about my sex life.embarrassing to/for: · The revelations about the President's university life were to prove deeply embarrassing to him.
► embarrass to make someone feel embarrassed: · I hope I didn't embarrass you in front of your friends.· One woman was trying to embarrass me by asking me questions I couldn't answer.
► cause embarrassment if a situation or an action causes embarrassment to someone, it makes them feel embarrassed in front of a lot of people: · If you want I'll leave - I don't want to cause any embarrassment.cause somebody embarrassment: · His wife's frequent affairs with other men had caused him acute public embarrassment.cause embarrassment to somebody: · The article was intended to cause the greatest possible embarrassment to the government.
► be an embarrassment if someone or something is an embarrassment to someone, they make them feel embarrassed or ashamed to be connected with them: · Look at the way he's dressed. It's an embarrassment.be an embarrassment to: · His heavy drinking was an embarrassment to his friends and family.
► excruciating use this about something that makes you feel extremely embarrassed: · The ambassador opened the gift in front of all his guests - and the box was empty! It was the most excruciating moment of my life.· There followed an excruciating silence that lasted for at least a minute.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► an embarrassing incident
Word family· He left after an embarrassing incident in the bar.
► an embarrassing question· The media began to ask embarrassing questions about MPs' expenses.
► an awkward/uncomfortable/embarrassed silence· ‘Fred tells me you like books,’ Steve said, after an awkward silence.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► almost· I am almost embarrassed because our answers appear to be a party line.· At times it was almost embarrassing for me.· Had the masses become almost embarrassed by the heavily hyped prospect of a walkover and wanted to encourage the visitors?
► deeply· It also deeply embarrassed Mr Fox.· The revelations will deeply embarrass the security services and lead to further accusations of incompetence as yet another operative tells his story.
► slightly· I am slightly embarrassed by this story but I fear it should be told.· He caught a glimpse of a slightly embarrassed but charming smile.· We exchange slightly embarrassed good evenings with them as we leave.· He seemed slightly embarrassed by it all.
► so· I was so embarrassed by his behaviour.· They were placed in shops, but people were so embarrassed about using them that curtains had to be hung around them.· She was so embarrassed she said she was thinking of changing her last name.· It was so embarrassing I ran out of the store and haven't dared show my head in there since.· Some politicians are so embarrassed by their contributors, they try to keep them secret.· Mum was so embarrassed but she can laugh about it now.
► too· More than is let on, because their victims are often too embarrassed to own up.· They were too embarrassed for that.· Hanna is too embarrassed, too proud, or perhaps simply too out of it, to query this.· I would have been too embarrassed to say a word to her in his presence.· I don't want to wear pads and I am too embarrassed to go to the doctor.· I was too embarrassed to ask his name.· He called Virginia Stillman, too embarrassed to think of doing anything else.
NOUN► government· They'd do it deliberately to embarrass the Government.· It was suggested at one meeting with the delegation that such an investigation could prove embarrassing for current government officials.· His close involvement threatens to embarrass Mitterrand's government, although there is no suggestion he was involved in any wrong-doing.· The Opposition was also anxious to embarrass the Government, and to trap it within its own latent inconsistencies.· The crisis surrounding the tunnel threatens to embarrass the Government, which insisted it be financed entirely by the private sector.· If the applications are pursued, it would embarrass the Government.· The idea was to embarrass the Government.
► situation· The situation embarrasses us in committee.· Maybe because his tight situation embarrassed him.· The situation is more than embarrassing.· I wonder if men tend to find such situations more embarrassing than women.
VERB► avoid· By removing the mystique immediately, you avoid the excruciatingly embarrassing guesswork by all and sundry.· Hoping to avoid delays and embarrassing publicity, in July the council started quietly pressuring Pike to disengage from the venture.· Perhaps he had called them Nibs also, for convenience and to avoid embarrassing mistakes.
► feel· Also, if drink makes you behave too boldly, afterwards you may feel a bit embarrassed.· Joe was furious and felt embarrassed that his White House intrigues should come to naught.· They soon stopped feeling embarrassed about coming to admire the sculptures.· Then I felt embarrassed, humiliated.· How am I going to tell my friends about my faith so that I don't get ridiculed or feel embarrassed?· I felt really uncomfortable and embarrassed because I felt I was sending all the wrong messages.· I felt embarrassed for my clients, as if they had misbehaved.
► look· Grant at least had the grace to look thoroughly embarrassed.· The people standing around us looked embarrassed.· She very seldom looked embarrassed, but there was just a hint of embarrassment about her now.· She looked embarrassed by this information.· He looked embarrassed when I said it, but genuinely gratified, and then be shuffled off without a single word more.· Then, perhaps feeling that his gesture was mawkish, he looked embarrassed, took the flowers out and backed away.· I looked down, embarrassed by the shamefulness of her situation and astonished by the surprises that fate kept setting before me.· A moment later, all that I could see was that the chil-dren looked embarrassed.
► prove· Just be careful it does enter the right address-otherwise it could prove embarrassing.· It was suggested at one meeting with the delegation that such an investigation could prove embarrassing for current government officials.· Prominent anti-abortion activists in the party had opposed the resolution, because it might prove embarrassing.· At times, the gap proved embarrassing.· Even the pretrial depositions could prove embarrassing and politically damaging if, as is likely, they were released to the public.
► seem· Even some timber industry people seemed embarrassed, in some cases leaving trees uncut along streams.· She seemed a little embarrassed, but pleased that I recognized her name.· Once again, they don't seem a bit embarrassed.· He seemed slightly embarrassed by it all.· When she looked at me again, she had tears in her eyes and she seemed embarrassed by that.
► want· I wouldn't want to embarrass you, but I really can see no alternative at present.· The election was only three months away and Fulbright did not want to embarrass Johnson.· He didn't want to embarrass the poor woman.
WORD FAMILYadjectiveembarrassedembarrassingnounembarrassmentverbembarrassadverbembarrassingly
1to make someone feel ashamed, nervous, or uncomfortable, especially in front of other people: He didn’t want to embarrass her by asking questions.2to do something that causes problems for a government, political organization, or politician, and makes them look bad: The revelations in the press have embarrassed the government.