embroider

verb em·broi·der \ im-ˈbrȯi-dər \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: embroider in a Sentence

Definition of embroider

embroidered; embroidering play \im-ˈbrȯi-d(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to ornament with needlework

b : to form with needlework

2 : to elaborate on : embellish

embroider a story

intransitive verb

1 : to make embroidery

2 : to provide embellishments : elaborate

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embroiderer

play \im-ˈbrȯi-dər-ər\ noun

See embroider defined for English-language learners

See embroider defined for kids

Examples of embroider in a Sentence

She embroidered tiny flowers on the baby's scarf.
a scarf embroidered with tiny flowers
He is known to embroider the truth about his service in the army.

Recent Examples of embroider from the Web

For Wednesday night’s festivities, Trump went with a white sleeveless embroidered tulle cocktail dress from Elie Saab, according to a press pool report.

— fiona ma | wwd, latimes.com, "Melania Trump wears Calvin Klein for concert outing during NATO summit, Elie Saab for evening festivities," 11 July 2018
Over the past three months, Envision Tees, which prints and embroiders T-shirts, has lost four customer service and sales workers to larger companies in its Dubuque, Iowa, home region.

— paul davidson, USA TODAY, "Flexible hours, $10,000 referral fee: Small businesses get creative to hire in tight labor market," 11 July 2018
The knee-length white shirt was embroidered with a green eagle representing the country's green, white, green colors.

— stephanie busari, cnn and damilola odutayo, CNN, "It's official! Nigeria is the most stylish team at the World Cup," 13 June 2018
The lining is embroidered with all of the names and dates of the infants who wore it before, according to People.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Princess Adrienne’s Christening Gown Has a Significant Meaning to the Swedish Royal Family," 13 June 2018
Intricately embroidered with stars, a velvet cape and dress from the #GucciCruise19 fashion show by #AlessandroMichele, together with a shell style necklace featuring a woman dressed in a traditional Japanese dress.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gucci's Cruise 2019 Runway Was On Fire—Literally," 31 May 2018
The dress was embroidered on its hems, cuffs, and bodice with real gold.

— cady lang, Time, "25 Classic Royal Wedding Dresses That Could Inspire Meghan Markle," 3 May 2018
Holland & Sherry curtains, a Casa del Bianco embroidered duvet cover and Rogers & Goffigon grass cloth that wraps the headboard further cushion the space with texture.

— heidi mitchell, WSJ, "A Superchic Apartment That’s Tougher Than It Looks," 20 Apr. 2018
Clad in matching denim jackets embroidered with a sailor hat, and often sporting white sailor hats like the band's, these fans provide both word of mouth and an instantly recognizable visual brand.

— nancy baym, WIRED, "Book Excerpt: How Music Fans Built the Internet," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embroider.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of embroider

alteration of Middle English embroderen, from Anglo-French embrouder, from en- + brosder, brouder to embroider, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English brord point, byrst bristle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year