bear-hugged; bear-hugging; bear-hugs
: to embrace in a bear hug
: a rough tight embrace
Examples of bear-hug in a Sentence
Verb
elated team members bear-hugging everyone in sight
Noun
He gave his brother a bear hug.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
Mamdani’s refusal to bear-hug Israeli leadership, which until recently was de rigueur for both political parties, has transformed him into the embodiment of a bogeyman for some Jews who live above 60th Street.
—Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 9 Jan. 2026
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
As the Norwegians celebrated, a weeping Prevc got a bear hug from her father, a ski jumping referee.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bear-hug
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Verb
Once Tyler and Beau got there to Victory Lane, right before the confetti popped and rained down and reminded Reddick that yes, this was real, and yes, Jordan was bear-hugging him, and yes, a childhood dream had come true — a new memory took place.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
Mamdani’s refusal to bear-hug Israeli leadership, which until recently was de rigueur for both political parties, has transformed him into the embodiment of a bogeyman for some Jews who live above 60th Street.
—Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
Then Reddick drove over to Victory Lane, where a teary Michael Jordan was waiting to bear hug him, and where owner Denny Hamlin and teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst were waiting to congratulate him.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
As the Norwegians celebrated, a weeping Prevc got a bear hug from her father, a ski jumping referee.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bear-hug
Cite this Entry
“Bear-hug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear-hug. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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