embody

verb

em·​body im-ˈbä-dē 

embodied; embodying

transitive verb

1

: to give a body to (a spirit) : incarnate

2

a

: to deprive of spirituality

b

: to make concrete and perceptible

3

: to cause to become a body or part of a body : incorporate

4

: to represent in human or animal form : personify

… men who greatly embodied the idealism of American life …

—A. M. Schlesinger born 1917

embodier noun

Synonyms of embody

• integrate
• incorporate
• assimilate

Examples of embody in a Sentence

The legislature embodied a revenue provision in the new law.

they must embody their ideas in substantial institutions if they are to survive

Recent Examples on the Web

If there’s one color that embodies spring and all that comes with it, that color is green. —Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2026

Despite their different levels of brightness and saturation, both are distinct paint colors that look clean and clearly embody a certain visual aesthetic. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2026

Unlike large language models trained on vast internet corpora, embodied AI systems must learn through interaction with the physical world. —Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026

The bar embodies the new season’s unusual tension between the spiritual and the profane, jutting out into the desert as an establishment devoted to sin that Rue sees as her salvation. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for embody

• blackbody
• samadhi
• somebody
• afterbody
• antibody
• busybody
• everybody
• autoantibody
• bawdy
• body
• gaudy
• khadi

Kids Definition

embody

verb

em·​body im-ˈbäd-ē 

embodied; embodying

1

: to give definite form to

embodied her ideas in suitable words

2

: to cause to become a body or a part of a body or system

the Constitution embodies the fundamental laws of the United States

3

: to represent in visible form

a leader who embodies courage

embodier noun