as in hugged
to put one's arms around and press tightly
elated team members bear-hugging everyone in sight
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Recent Examples of bear-hugged
Running back Isaac Guerendo returned to practice Tuesday and twice ran into the line only to be bear-hugged by Warner, who followed orders and did not tackle to the ground.
—
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear-hugged
Verb
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Hudson turned heads at the The Beverly Hilton red carpet in her off-the-shoulder Erdem silk gown, which hugged her body through the knee and featured an unexpected distressed accent with a raw seam on her neckline and visible stitching on the frayed hem.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
9 Feb. 2026
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Bowe hugged her coaches before disappearing off the ice.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Place your forearms on the ground, with your elbows under your shoulders and palms clasped together, forming a fist.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
5 Feb. 2026
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Each had a sidearm clasped in both hands.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bear-hugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear-hugged. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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