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as in to adopt
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
after working among them for two years in the Peace Corps, she felt compelled to espouse the peasants' cause for social justice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of espouse
Although Rubio never espoused anything like that in public, some of the new arrivals at State did.
—
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Many of these staffers are defecting to a new organization called Advancing American Freedom, founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, that espouses a much more traditional view of conservatism.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2026
The group has seen several other departures after Roberts defended Tucker Carlson’s interview with the controversial Nick Fuentes, who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2026
Outlaw country to the core, the Illinois native espouses an uncompromising independence and social-justice righteousness missing from the Nashville mainstream — and feigned for appearance’s sake in related circles.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for espouse
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Many of these staffers are defecting to a new organization called Advancing American Freedom, founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, that espouses a much more traditional view of conservatism.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2026
The group has seen several other departures after Roberts defended Tucker Carlson’s interview with the controversial Nick Fuentes, who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2026
Outlaw country to the core, the Illinois native espouses an uncompromising independence and social-justice righteousness missing from the Nashville mainstream — and feigned for appearance’s sake in related circles.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for espouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espouse
Verb
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Amma, who had not seen a member of her family since marrying my father almost fourteen years earlier, ran to her brother, Vinny Uncle, pressed a carton of Marlboro Reds into his pocket, then squeezed my cousin Narayan like a lemon and filled his hands with chocolate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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Haack later married real estate agent Josh Hall in October 2021, a relationship that ended in a contentious split, with the divorce not finalized until May 2025.—
Danielle Minnetian,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wilson was born in 1994 in Florida to teenage parents and was adopted shortly after birth by Cindy and Steve Wilson, a couple from Cape Coral, per the News-Press.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
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The Charley Hoffman Foundation was created by PGA TOUR professional Charley Hoffman and his wife Stacy in 2009 to raise funds for charities benefiting children in their native and adopted hometowns of San Diego and Las Vegas.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Orthodox Jews viewed the pop-up novelty with its mixed troupes as an abomination, but young female actors and singers embraced the emancipatory promise of the stage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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Would California voters embrace a wealth tax on the ballot?—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Boys borrow their emotional vocabulary from adults.—
Dr. Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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This recipe borrows that same concept and scales it up to a Bundt pan size.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espouse. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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