espouses

verb

present tense third-person singular of espouse
1
as in marries
to give in marriage a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in proposes
to take as a spouse heeded his father's advice to espouse someone with whom he had common interests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in borrows
to take for one's own use (something originated by another) after working among them for two years in the Peace Corps, she felt compelled to espouse the peasants' cause for social justice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of espouses Lee, a liberal who espouses improved ties with North Korea, did not specifically comment on the threats posed by the North. — ABC News, 25 May 2026 Lee, a liberal who espouses improved ties with North Korea, didn't specifically comment on the threats posed by the North. — CBS News, 26 May 2026 Meanwhile, Starlight becomes a symbol of resistance against the might-makes-right ideology that Homelander espouses. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026 The Majestic espouses a traditional luxury hotel style without feeling stuffy or pretentious. — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026 Compared to his political opponent de la Espriella, Cepeda espouses a human-centric approach to drugs in Colombia. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026 Kids will get the messages that Plensa espouses as quickly as adults, but this work is an easy, comprehensible introduction to how artists work, using surprising materials in inventive ways to make viewers consider the world differently. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 7 June 2026 The group espouses white nationalist and white supremacist ideology, advocating the creation of a white ethnostate and opposing multiculturalism. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 July 2026 The 75-page document has sections apparently written by Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, and includes material that espouses anti-Islamic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ views and promotes white supremacist ideology. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espouses
  1. marries
  2. borrows
  3. embraces
  4. adopts
Verb
  • The hybrid pair marries the trendy Mary Jane silhouette with the comfortable feel of your favorite walking shoes.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 4 July 2026
  • Finding a bra that marries comfort with true support can feel like navigating a minefield, especially for anyone with a bigger bust.
    — Tatjana Freund, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of marries
Verb
  • Villain’s follow-up to 2022’s Only Love From Now On, Memoria borrows its title from Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2021 film.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
  • In fact, the Elora borrows its bathroom design directly from Winnebago's Ekko all-terrain B+ motorhome lineup.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of borrows
Verb
  • How his work embraces the ephemeral, how that is expressed in pieces made to last much longer than a season.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • As the fashion industry embraces these jerseys, some teams are leaning in.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
Definition of embraces
Verb
  • As an organization adopts agentic workflows, this is becoming especially true.
    — Greg Pavlik, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • In 1986, Foxx returned to television to headline The Redd Foxx Show, playing Al Hughes, a NYC newsstand owner who adopts a teenage girl (Pamela Adlon), but the series only lasted 13 episodes.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026
Definition of adopts

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Cite this Entry

“Espouses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espouses. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on espouses

Nglish: Translation of espouses for Spanish Speakers

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