1
as in congratulating
to express to (someone) admiration for his or her success or good fortune
she hugged herself for having made a killing on the investment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clasping
to put one's arms around and press tightly
Grandma hugged the grandchildren good-bye
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hugging
The Kardashians reality star made her Paris runway debut at the Balenciaga Couture show in July 2022, alongside Nicole Kidman and Naomi Campbell in a body-hugging black dress.
—
Emily Kirkpatrick, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Russini resigned from The Athletic earlier this month amid mounting criticism over her relationship with Vrabel, the New England Patriots’ head coach, after being photographed hugging and holding hands at a private resort in Sedona, Arizona.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The overall frame goes in at the middle, hugging a tower of three petite drawers with stainless steel and marble handles.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2026
Tim Bachak would look out to his backyard most evenings to see wildlife emerging from the forest of birch, maple and oak trees hugging his property.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Across Central Florida this week, many local governments and nonprofits are hugging trees with all their might.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The worst thing about being a high draft pick is hugging Roger Goodell.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
And that’s where laughter, joke-telling, hugging and dancing happen.
—Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Cecilio Waterman celebrated his stoppage-time winner by running to Thierry Henry, who was there as a TV pundit, hugging him and telling him Henry was his idol.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Emily Kirkpatrick, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Russini resigned from The Athletic earlier this month amid mounting criticism over her relationship with Vrabel, the New England Patriots’ head coach, after being photographed hugging and holding hands at a private resort in Sedona, Arizona.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
The overall frame goes in at the middle, hugging a tower of three petite drawers with stainless steel and marble handles.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Apr. 2026
Tim Bachak would look out to his backyard most evenings to see wildlife emerging from the forest of birch, maple and oak trees hugging his property.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Across Central Florida this week, many local governments and nonprofits are hugging trees with all their might.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The worst thing about being a high draft pick is hugging Roger Goodell.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
And that’s where laughter, joke-telling, hugging and dancing happen.
—Seth Borenstein, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Cecilio Waterman celebrated his stoppage-time winner by running to Thierry Henry, who was there as a TV pundit, hugging him and telling him Henry was his idol.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugging
Verb
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Al-Sudani issued a statement congratulating al-Zaidi.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Jerry Jones quickly recovered and told a story about Clinton after congratulating him on a recent Forbes article that highlighted his accomplishments.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
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Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chudzinski’s most stressful situation came in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Warriors clinging to a 3-2 lead.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Those parties clinging to the outdated and socially unacceptable business model that relies on selling puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers are no longer welcome in nine states and over 520 localities and some are looking for a new home.—
Annie Hornish,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Jaguars used their first pick of the NFL draft to land the blocking tight end Friday night, grabbing him in the second round with the 56th selection.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Seahawks stayed put yet again at the end of the second round, grabbing TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th pick.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There’s a lack of humility, a lack of dignity, a lack of understanding of the world, a lack of embracing other perspectives.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
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The phrase, coined by 33-year-old content creator and consultant Erica Mallett, refers to embracing those hard feelings.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugging. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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