espouse

verb

es·​pouse i-ˈspau̇z How to pronounce espouse (audio)
 also  -ˈspau̇s
espoused; espousing

transitive verb

1
: marry
2
: to take up and support as a cause : become attached to
espouser noun

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Commit to Learning the History of Espouse

As you might guess, the words espouse and spouse are hitched, both coming from the Latin verb spondēre, meaning “to promise” or “to betroth.” In fact, the two were once completely interchangeable, with each serving as a noun meaning “a newly married person” or “a husband or wife” and also as a verb meaning “to marry.” Their semantic separation began when the noun espouse fell out of use. Nowadays, espouse is most often encountered as a verb used in the figuratively extended sense “to commit to and support as a cause.”

Choose the Right Synonym for espouse

adopt, embrace, espouse mean to take an opinion, policy, or practice as one's own.

adopt implies accepting something created by another or foreign to one's nature.

forced to adopt new policies

embrace implies a ready or happy acceptance.

embraced the customs of their new homeland

espouse adds an implication of close attachment to a cause and a sharing of its fortunes.

espoused the cause of women's rights

Examples of espouse in a Sentence

The new theory has been espoused by many leading physicists. Those espousing unpopular views were often excluded.
Recent Examples on the Web Wisconsin was a national leader in eugenics Van Hise wasn't the only academic espousing eugenics during this time. Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 For nearly 20 minutes during the public comment section of the meeting, several individuals via Zoom took turns espousing hate speech targeting gay and transgender people, as well as Jewish people and faith, a recording of the meeting shows. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2024 Throughout the conference, racist extremists, some of whom had secured official CPAC badges, openly mingled with conference attendees and espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories. Ben Goggin, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 Promote the work of others Social media (the ever-present highlight reel) always seems to feature people espousing their own professional accomplishments. Julia Korn, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Both Gergen and Maturana espouse the view that reality is purely a social construct. Richard Halstead, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2024 In the video posted after the killing, Mohn described his father as a 20-year federal employee, espoused a variety of conspiracy theories and ranted against the government. Haleluya Hadero, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2024 But with 2024 being an election year, Lukianoff anticipates a particularly tumultuous time for leaders who have espoused progressive ideals. USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 There was even a small group of students, mostly religiously conservative Christians, who strongly supported Israel while espousing a high number of antisemitic tropes. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'espouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French espuser, from Late Latin sponsare to betroth, from Latin sponsus betrothed — more at spouse

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of espouse was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near espouse

Cite this Entry

“Espouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espouse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

espouse

verb
es·​pouse is-ˈpau̇z How to pronounce espouse (audio)
-ˈpau̇s
espoused; espousing
1
2
: to take up the cause of : support
espouser noun

More from Merriam-Webster on espouse

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