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Commit to Learning the History of Espouse
As you might guess, the words espouse and spouse are hitched, both coming from the Latin verb spondēre, meaning “to promise” or “to betroth.” In fact, the two were once completely interchangeable, with each serving as a noun meaning “a newly married person” or “a husband or wife” and also as a verb meaning “to marry.” Their semantic separation began when the noun espouse fell out of use. Nowadays, espouse is most often encountered as a verb used in the figuratively extended sense “to commit to and support as a cause.”
Examples of espouse in a Sentence
Elena Moore, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
After a summer-long saga that saw his agent Aaron Turner embark on a media tour espousing the individual talents of a client forced to play within the Warriors’ system, Sunday’s game provided Kuminga his first opportunity of the preseason to be The Guy.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
In the past, Musk has espoused paying penalties rather than waiting for approvals as a way of doing business.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
The movie follows the Shakers’ irrepressible leader — who espoused gender and social equality while believing herself to be the female incarnation of Christ.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for espouse
Cite this Entry
“Espouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espouse. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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