as in hugging
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-hugging
Williams celebrated by jumping onto the goal post padding and bear-hugging the upright, which earned him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
—
CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear-hugging
Verb
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The overall pessimism is leading people to stay put in their current jobs out of fear of facing a challenging job market, also known as job hugging.—
Jennifer Liu,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
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The crowd started kissing and hugging and crying — New Year’s Eve who?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After the speakers concluded, the crowd lingered, hugging and clasping hands before police announced the parking lot would be closed.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Flex your left knee at a 90-degree angle and place the rope around the mid-foot, clasping the rope with the right hand.—
Gerard Hartmann,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bear-hugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear-hugging. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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