embrace
/ɪmˈbreɪs
/ /ɛmˈbreɪs/verb
1 [with object] Hold (someone) closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection: Aunt Sophie embraced her warmly [no object]: the two embraced, holding each other tightly...
- Jordan looked at her friend for a moment before embracing her closely, Madison sobbing into Jordan's shirt.
- She suddenly let all the tears in her eyes trickle out, and she embraced him closely.
- When she saw me, she dropped her call and embraced me warmly.
Synonyms
hug, take/hold in one's arms, hold, cuddle, clasp to one's bosom, clasp, squeeze, clutch, seize, grab;
nuzzle, caress;
enfold, enclasp, encircle, enclose, envelop, entwine oneself around
informal canoodle, smooch
literary embosom
2Accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically: besides traditional methods, artists are embracing new technology...
- The hype associated with this album suggests that the reason the Chieftains have been able to survive for so long is their willingness to embrace change.
- Or will we wait for the public sector (famous for its willingness to embrace change rapidly) to simply drive demand?
- Businesses, however need to be outward looking, objective and willing to embrace change.
Synonyms
welcome, accept, receive enthusiastically/wholeheartedly, take up, take to one's heart, welcome/receive with open arms, adopt;
support, be in favour of, back, champion
formal espouse
3Include or contain (something) as a constituent part: his career embraces a number of activities—composing, playing, and acting...
- Catholics believe that the full and right ordering of the Church embraces seven sacraments, including the apostolic and sacramentally ordained ministry.
- This message embraces all creations, including the unborn.
- His stellar career embraces comedy and drama and crosses media from television and movies to the stage and the recording arts.
Synonyms
include, take in, cover, involve, take into account, contain, comprise, incorporate, encompass, encapsulate, embody, subsume, comprehend
noun
1An act of holding someone closely in one’s arms: they were locked in an embrace...
- There is a moment of recognition and reconciliation before the boat overturns, and both, locked in a final embrace, are drowned.
- They gently went down on their knees, still locked in their embrace.
- An hour later, Victoria and Jack stood once again on the balcony, locked in a firm embrace.
Synonyms
hug, cuddle, squeeze, clasp, hold, clutch, clinch, nuzzle, caress;
bear hug
informal necking session
1.1Used to refer to something which is regarded as surrounding, holding, or restricting someone: totalitarianism has meant that no interest falls outside the embrace of the state...
- I felt very laid back, the sofa seemed to be hugging me as I sank deeper into its embrace.
- Shortly after collapsing into the voluptuous embrace of a velveteen sofa, your body may shut itself down and try to enter a coma.
- The thick tendrils of fog caressed the car, drawing it deeper into its muggy embrace.
2 [in singular] An act of accepting something willingly or enthusiastically: their eager embrace of foreign influences...
- Still others feel the bar has not been set quite high enough to warrant the eager embrace of electronic voting.
- The vast power of the USA was with us, but there were occasions when the enthusiastic embrace might have proved as damaging as a blow from an enemy.
- Enthusiastic embrace of these new gods is decimating its youthful adherents.
Derivatives
embraceable
- But don't be tempted to neglect quality time with your best friend - that embraceable, irreplaceable inner you.
- For the children, nature in all its violence is embraceable, a fact of life.
- To create a similar aura, he crafted his latest recording, Shine, around four songs that would be, as he puts it, ‘universally embraceable, ‘with the other songs being basically ‘snapshots.’
embracement
/ /ɛmˈbreɪsm(ə)nt / noun ...- At least the fact that I'm quite stupid means I have an apathetic embracement of failure that is unlikely to ever lead me to self-harm.
- After a long, rather painful embracement Sara pulled back.
- After about 20 minutes of embracement, I sat up and pulled myself away.
embracer
- The old-age embracers don't see it as an obsession, of course.
- By now you're probably just begging for a comparison to those other recent country-educated embracers of technology, Wilco, and public servant that I am, I'll oblige.
- Dell has been one of the most aggressive embracers of offshoring operations to the third-world.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'encircle, surround, enclose'; formerly also as imbrace): from Old French embracer, based on Latin in- 'in' + bracchium 'arm'.
bracelet from Late Middle English:
Adopted from Old French, from bras ‘arm’, from Latin bracchium. Old French had a special word, brace for ‘both arms, two arms’. This is the source of brace (Middle English) from ‘two’ as in ‘a brace of pheasants’, and also for something that clasps, like the brace on teeth, or that supports. Embrace (Middle English), to clasp in both arms, goes back to the same source.