embrace1 verbembrace2 noun
embraceem‧brace1 /ɪmˈbreɪs/ ●○○ verb 
WORD ORIGINembrace1
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French embracier, from brace ‘two arms’VERB TABLE
embrace
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | embrace |
| he, she, it | embraces | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | embraced |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have embraced |
| he, she, it | has embraced | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had embraced |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will embrace |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have embraced |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am embracing |
| he, she, it | is embracing | |
| you, we, they | are embracing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was embracing |
| you, we, they | were embracing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been embracing |
| he, she, it | has been embracing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been embracing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be embracing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been embracing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Before my flight was called we stood and embraced.
- By the end of the last century, Americans had embraced the idea of the right to free public education for all children.
- He jumped up and embraced his lawyer with both arms.
- Phoebe ran to embrace her mother.
- The category "kinsmen' also embraces grandparents and grandchildren.
- The President said he wholeheartedly embraced the need for further talks on the refugee crisis.
- The word "culture' embraces both artistic and sociological aspects of a society.
- And like its counterparts within the high-performance loop, a program of inclusiveness can be insincerely embraced or carried to ridiculous lengths.
- I embraced the external formalities of femininity, its appearances, behaviors, look, and feel.
- Shadwell embraced them, and they kissed him, apparently without revulsion.
- The dark edge of the forest showed before them, advanced and embraced them.
- The reality of reengineering has begun to gnaw away at those who had earnestly embraced this newest form of management self-improvement.
- Though they were alone they did not embrace or kiss.
- We embrace our rules and red tape to prevent bad things from happening, of course.
- Wings embracing, they play in bright sunlight, Necks caressing roam the blue clouds.
THESAURUS
(also give somebody a hug) to put your arms around someone and hold them tightly to show love or friendship: · Mother hugged him and tucked him into bed.· Come here and give me a big hug.
to put your arms around someone and hold him or her in a caring way. Embrace is more formal than hug: · Jason warmly embraced his son.· The two leaders embraced each other.
to put your arms around someone or something as a sign of love, especially a child or a small animal: · She sat on a chair, cuddling her daughter.· He cuddled the puppy.
to hold someone closely to your body, especially to comfort them or show that you love them: · The woman put her arms around the sobbing boy.
written to hold someone very gently in your arms, like you would hold a baby: · She held the baby in her arms.· She cradled his head in her hands and kissed him on the forehead
Longman Language Activatorto accept that something is right to agree that a suggestion or idea is right, especially when you did not previously think so: · People are beginning to accept the idea that higher taxes may be necessary.accept that: · The judge accepted that Carter did not mean to harm anyone.
to accept that a plan or suggestion is good, especially when you have the power to decide whether it will be allowed to happen: · I spoke to my boss yesterday about postponing the meeting and she agreed.agree to: · We want to have a big party, but I don't think my parents will agree to it.agree that: · The music teacher agreed that Dave should play at the school concert.
to think that a plan, suggestion, or decision is very good, and eagerly accept it: · Some companies have welcomed the idea of employees working from home.· The university's cafeteria welcomes any suggestions for improvement of its menu or service.be warmly welcomed: · The proposal was warmly welcomed by the German Chancellor.
especially spoken use this to say that you are willing to accept and support a plan or suggestion that someone has made: · "What do you think of Jo's idea?" "I think we should go with it - I can't think of anything better."
British to realize that a new idea or suggestion is important and that it needs to be thought about seriously: take something on board: · The local government says it has taken much of the public's criticism on board and it promises to make changes.take on board something: · The management says that it will take on board suggestions from employees about child-care facilities.
formal to eagerly accept ideas, opinions etc: · By the end of the last century, Americans had embraced the idea of the right to free public education for all children.embrace something wholeheartedly/wholeheartedly embrace something (=embrace it completely): · The President said he wholeheartedly embraced the need for further talks on the refugee crisis.
to put your arms around someone to put your arms around someone and hold them close to you, especially to show that you love them, or in order to comfort them: · I held her until she went to sleep.hold somebody tight: · There was nothing I could say so I just held her tight and let her cry.hold somebody in your arms: · She held a baby in her arms.
to hold someone especially when you want to comfort them or kiss them or show that you love them: · Mama put her arms around me and tried to comfort me.· She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
to put your arms around someone and hold them close to you, especially to show that you love them, or to comfort them: · My father hugged me affectionately when I got home.· "I'll never forget you,'' she said, and we hugged each other for the last time.hug somebody close/tight: · Jane threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.
to hold someone in your arms for a long time, especially a child, a small animal, or someone you love: · She had fallen asleep in her chair, cuddling a little teddy bear.kiss and cuddle (=when two people hold each other and kiss each other): · They were kissing and cuddling on the sofa.
to gently pull someone towards you and hold them in your arms, especially someone you love: · He took Sophie in his arms and kissed her.· Margaret took the little boy in her arms and carried him downstairs.
formal put your arms around someone and hold them in a friendly or loving way, especially when you are meeting or leaving someone: · Phoebe ran to embrace her mother.· Before my flight was called we stood and embraced.
to include more than one subject, period etc to include or deal with more than one subject, period etc at the same time: · His book on European history covers the period from 1914 to 2001.· The course lasts two years and covers seven basic subjects.cover a wide range/variety of something: · The term RSI - repetitive strain injury - covers a wide variety of painful hand and arm conditions.
formal to include or deal with a very wide range of ideas, subjects etc: · The Hindu religion encompasses many widely differing forms of worship.· It was a fruitful discussion which encompassed several different viewpoints.
formal if a word or way of describing something embraces several things, they are all included within its meaning: · The word "culture' embraces both artistic and sociological aspects of a society.· The category "kinsmen' also embraces grandparents and grandchildren.
if a book, film, plan etc spans a period of time, it goes from the beginning to the end of that time: · "Heimat' is a vivid social drama spanning sixty years in the life of one small village.· In a career spanning four decades, Brewster had many legal triumphs.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
A moment later they were locked in an embrace (=holding each other very tightly in a loving or friendly way).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
A moment later they were locked in an embrace (=holding each other very tightly in a loving or friendly way).· Whether that is a message that Oregon parents, students, and teachers will embrace enthusiastically remains to be seen.
· We do not therefore believe the draft guidance, despite valiant efforts to convince, has fully embraced the concept of sustainability.· Still, in some ways this manager had yet to fully embrace the notion of building a team.
NOUN· We do not therefore believe the draft guidance, despite valiant efforts to convince, has fully embraced the concept of sustainability.· A further piece of veracity lay in the fact that Imelda could not embrace the concept of life without a husband.· What still needs doing to help you to begin to embrace this concept?
· Still, in some ways this manager had yet to fully embrace the notion of building a team.
· Community standards may embrace moral principles or they may not.· If we agree that in that case women should be embraced by the liberty principle then so should children.
· The Faculty embraces an unusually wide range of departments.· Every type of situation, from village church to cathedral, is embraced in a wide range of settings and styles.· At worst there is a parochialism about this culture even though its completeness embraces a wide range of human activity and potential.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive, transitive] to put your arms around someone and hold them in a friendly or loving way SYN hug: - Would they melt into each other's arms?
Jack warmly embraced his son. Maggie and Laura embraced.► see thesaurus at hug2[transitive] formal to eagerly accept a new idea, opinion, religion etc: We hope these regions will embrace democratic reforms. Most West European countries have embraced the concept of high-speed rail networks with enthusiasm.3[transitive] formal to include something as part of a subject, discussion etc: This course embraces several different aspects of psychology.GRAMMAR: Reciprocal verbsEmbrace is a reciprocal verb. This type of verb is used when saying that two or more people or things do something that involves both or all of them. It does not need to have an object: · They embraced. In this sentence, embrace is intransitive and does not have an object.You can also say: · He embraced her.· They embraced each other. In these sentences, embrace is transitive.Grammar guide ‒ VERBSembrace1 verbembrace2 noun
embraceembrace2 ●○○ noun [countable] EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The children rushed into the embrace of their father.
- Even outside all these imaginings, rumor and derision held us in an unwelcome embrace.
- He caught Nina into a tight embrace, holding her close.
- His comment came as he was asked to explain his recent embrace of several Republican initiatives.
- Religions have also often attempted to reduce all human action to stylistic embrace as an expression of cosmological pretensions.
- She threw herself into his arms, sighing deeply when he half-heartedly returned her embrace.
- So both went down, literally in deadly embrace...
- They were like a needle stuck in a gramophone record, inexorably repeating embrace after embrace.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES A moment later they were locked in an embrace (=holding each other very tightly in a loving or friendly way).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
A moment later they were locked in an embrace (=holding each other very tightly in a loving or friendly way).· Some one being dragged from the warm embraces of a group of young ladies.· More often, Washington and Pretoria are locked in warm embrace.· Suddenly it was as though they weren't enemies at all, but locked in a passionate, warm embrace.
VERB· Ljungberg falls in the box with Babayaro locked in an embrace from behind.· And when that happens, you will surely see Switzer and Jones locked in an embrace.· Simultaneously they turned to face one another and a moment later they were locked in an embrace.· More often, Washington and Pretoria are locked in warm embrace.· Finally, in order to avoid being rounded up, they pretend to be locked in a passionate embrace in a doorway.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
the act of holding someone close to you, especially as a sign of lovein an embrace- Would they melt into each other's arms?
They held each other in a tender embrace.