embrace

embrace — verb

1. To put your arms around someone and hold them close to your body, as a way of sh

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

To put your arms around someone and hold them close to your body, as a way of showing affection, comfort, or sympathy.

Example

Lotte ran to greet her mother and embraced her warmly at the terminal.

transitive: embrace + person + adverb

The couple embraced silently on the dance floor as the music played.

intransitive: embrace (no object)

Common collocations
  • embrace warmly
  • embrace tightly
  • embrace gently
  • embrace each other
Synonyms
  • hug

    more common in everyday conversation; less formal

  • clasp

    suggests a firmer, more urgent hold

  • cuddle

    implies a longer, more affectionate and gentle hold

Antonyms
  • push away

    physically rejecting someone's approach

  • shove

    forcefully pushing someone away

Grammar Patterns

embrace + object (person)

embrace (no object)

Usage Note

Unlike the more casual word 'hug', 'embrace' often suggests a slightly more formal or emotionally weighty gesture. It works both transitively ('She embraced him') and intransitively ('They embraced').

Common Mistakes

She embraced him hardly.
She embraced him tightly.
'Hardly' means 'almost not', not 'with force'; use 'tightly' instead.

2. To willingly accept and support a new idea, change, technology, or way of doing

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To willingly accept and support a new idea, change, technology, or way of doing things with energy and eagerness.

Example

The company embraced the new software and trained every employee to use it.

embrace + new technology or system

Sirin embraced the chance to study in Japan without any hesitation.

Common collocations
  • embrace change
  • embrace technology
  • embrace an idea
  • embrace diversity
  • fully embrace
  • enthusiastically embrace
Synonyms
  • welcome

    warmer and more informal; 'welcome a change' is less intense than 'embrace a change'

  • adopt

    suggests making something your own through deliberate choice

  • endorse

    implies public support or approval, often from a position of authority

Antonyms
  • reject

    refusing to accept or consider something

  • resist

    actively trying not to accept or go along with something

Grammar Patterns

embrace + object (idea/change/opportunity)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person, group, or organization. The object is an abstract thing that is new or different — ideas, policies, technologies, lifestyles, or cultural practices. It carries a strongly positive connotation of eagerness.

Common Mistakes

I embraced the heavy box.
I embraced my friend at the door.' / ✅ 'I embraced the new challenge at work.
Use the physical 'hug' sense for physical objects; use this sense only for accepting abstract things like ideas or changes.

3. To include something as part of a wider category, collection, or range of things

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To include something as part of a wider category, collection, or range of things, often as one item among several.

Example

The course embraces topics from ancient history to modern politics and economics.

embrace a wide range of topics

Aylin's role as director embraces everything from hiring staff to managing the budget.

Common collocations
  • embrace a range
  • embrace a topic
  • embrace a field
  • embrace a subject
Synonyms
  • include

    more neutral and common; less formal than 'embrace'

  • encompass

    suggests a very broad or complete coverage

  • cover

    neutral and widely used in discussions of topics

Antonyms
  • exclude

    to leave something out deliberately

  • omit

    to not include something

Grammar Patterns

embrace + range/scope of items

Usage Note

Subject is usually a broad category, collection, field, or role. The object is something that falls within the subject's scope. This sense is more formal than 'include' and often suggests that the list or range is wide or surprising.

Common Mistakes

The box embraces three apples.
The term embraces several related concepts.
This sense is used for abstract categories and scopes, not for physical containers.

embrace — noun

Word family

  • embracing
    adjectiveC1
  • embraced
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words describe a positive response to something new, but they differ in intensity and formality. 'Embrace' is the strongest — it suggests not just accepting but actively supporting something with enthusiasm, as in 'the team embraced the new strategy wholeheartedly.' 'Welcome' is warmer and more interpersonal; you welcome a guest, an idea, or a change, but it can be passive ('we welcome your feedback'). 'Adopt' implies making something your own through deliberate choice — you adopt a method, a policy, or a lifestyle, which often replaces what you used before. 'Endorse' is the most formal and public-facing, used when someone in authority gives official support or approval, such as a celebrity endorsing a product or a politician endorsing a candidate. In short: you welcome a visitor, adopt a habit, endorse a policy, but you embrace a cause that matters deeply to you.

embrace ↗welcome ↗adopt ↗endorse ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • embrace the challenge
  • embrace the opportunity
  • embrace change
  • embrace diversity
  • embrace a new way of thinking
  • a warm embrace of

Prepositions

  • in (in an embrace)
  • into (into someone's embrace)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'embrace' entered English through Old French 'embracer', which combined 'en-' (put into) with 'brace' (arms). The French term came from Latin 'im-' (in) + 'bracchium' (arm), so the literal meaning was 'to put into one's arms.' The original physical sense of holding someone closely has been part of English since the 1300s. By the 1600s, writers began using the word figuratively to mean accepting ideas or beliefs willingly — the metaphor being that you hold an idea as close to you as you would hold a person.