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
And, besides, he could be seen bear-hugging his players, as well as those of Newcastle, within moments of being led away from Barrott, twice turning back to shout and angrily gesticulate in the referee’s direction.
—
Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Once Tyler and Beau got there to Victory Lane, right before the confetti popped and rained down and reminded Reddick that yes, this was real, and yes, Jordan was bear-hugging him, and yes, a childhood dream had come true — a new memory took place.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Once Tyler and Beau got there to Victory Lane, right before the confetti popped and rained down and reminded Reddick that yes, this was real, and yes, Jordan was bear-hugging him, and yes, a childhood dream had come true — a new memory took place.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear-hugging
Verb
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Photos originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six showed the coach and journalist holding hands, hugging and sitting in a pool in bathing suits at a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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But that big gap in the middle—and the fact that many ships are hugging the northern shoreline—shows that captains were not eager to test the open-sea route without Tehran's approval.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
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Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bear-hugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear-hugging. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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