espouse

verb

es·​pouse i-ˈspau̇z 

also -ˈspau̇s

espoused; espousing

transitive verb

1

: marry

2

: to take up and support as a cause : become attached to

espouser noun

Did you know?

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 partner in marriage” and also as a verb meaning “to marry.” Their semantic separation began when the noun espouse fell out of use. Nowadays, espouse is almost exclusively encountered as a verb used in the figuratively extended sense “to commit to and support as a cause.”

Synonyms of espouse

• marry

Choose the Right Synonym for espouse

adopt, embrace, espouse mean to take an opinion, policy, or practice as one's own.

adopt implies accepting something created by another or foreign to one's nature.

forced to adopt new policies

embrace implies a ready or happy acceptance.

embraced the customs of their new homeland

espouse adds an implication of close attachment to a cause and a sharing of its fortunes.

espoused the cause of women's rights

Examples of espouse in a Sentence

The new theory has been espoused by many leading physicists.

Those espousing unpopular views were often excluded.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hyde’s big-hearted story about the LGBTQ+ community arrived just as a new American president was espousing anti-trans rhetoric from the Oval Office. —Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026

Assad, a member of the Alawite religious minority, officially espoused a secular ideology. —ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

Van Rootselaar espoused admiration online for other shooters and was active on WatchPeopleDie, a forum where users share images of torture, rape, beheadings and other violence. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026

The tension in boys flag football About seven miles away from where the Lick-Wilderming boys are running routes and espousing the value of flag football, the NFL prepares for the inaugural Super Bowl-week Pro Bowl. —Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French espuser, from Late Latin sponsare to betroth, from Latin sponsus betrothed — more at spouse

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for espouse

• allows
• aphthous
• arouse
• avows
• carouse
• endows
• eyebrows
• boughs
• bows
• brows
• browse
• cows

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Kids Definition

espouse

verb

es·​pouse is-ˈpau̇z 

-ˈpau̇s

espoused; espousing

1

a

: marry entry 1 sense 2

b

: marry entry 1 sense 3

2

: to take up the cause of : support

espouser noun