espousing

verb

present participle of espouse
1
as in marrying
to give in marriage a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in proposing
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 adopting
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 espousing And repetition – espousing the same ideas again and again – was an effective tactic. — Yu-Ru Lin, The Conversation, 7 May 2026 Campa-Najjar’s journey from espousing progressive positions to conservative ones and back again has required him to do a lot of explaining in recent years. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 Trump’s backers continued to complain about the touchscreen voting machines, with some loyalists espousing wild conspiracy theories. — Kate Brumback, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026 Presumably, this presented Hulu with its clearest, cleanest path to finally getting past the Whedon mess that had cast a shadow over the franchise espousing female empowerment. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026 The mom recalls her as a former student espousing a radical totalitarian ideology, and the new girlfriend begins to build a powerful following, tearing apart the family from within. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 The writings are filled with extremist material espousing anti-Islamic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ views. — Tom Winter, NBC news, 19 May 2026 However, the two political figures have also found common ground on the issue of affordability, with the president espousing a surprisingly positive tone about the mayor during the pair’s first Oval Office meeting last November. — Sarah Davis, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espousing
  1. marrying
  2. adopting
  3. embracing
  4. borrowing
Verb
  • Kate has attended Wimbledon almost every year since marrying Prince William in 2011 and has been the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016.
    — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • Taylor Swift is back in New York City days before she's rumored to be marrying Travis Kelce.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 1 July 2026
Definition of marrying
Verb
  • Not Respecting Shrines and Temples Most Japanese people have a very loose relationship to religion compared to some Westerners, adopting practices from Buddhism, Shinto, and even Christianity.
    — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
  • During the past decade, underwriters have pushed buzzy tech companies into adopting more staggered or shortened release dates for insiders to sell their shares, some even contingent on earnings or stock-price increases to dampen the flow.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Definition of adopting
Verb
  • Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's son is embracing his time in the spotlight.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Increasingly, however, many are embracing a different definition—one that includes rest, healing, preventative care, joy, and self-investment.
    — Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of embracing
Verb
  • And mortgage rates won’t go down until government debts and deficits go down — since the housing market competes for borrowing with the federal government.
    — Andy Harris, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2026
  • Production runs from a Los Angeles home base plus two traveling studios that move to the best matches each day, borrowing the fanfest grammar of Big Noon Kickoff.
    — Maureen Kerr, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of borrowing

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espousing
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on espousing

Nglish: Translation of espousing for Spanish Speakers

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