1
2
3
as in borrowed
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of espoused
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
In the past, Musk has espoused paying penalties rather than waiting for approvals as a way of doing business.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
The movie follows the Shakers’ irrepressible leader — who espoused gender and social equality while believing herself to be the female incarnation of Christ.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital revealed that Edge espoused anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theories.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The research found that 59% of those posts espoused conspiracy theories about Jews, such as that Jewish people control governments, that Jews are satanic in nature, or that the Holocaust never occurred or misrepresentations of what happened during the Holocaust.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s nothing new about humans seeking to optimize their health and extend their lives (Hippocrates espoused cold baths; Benjamin Franklin touted vegetarianism), but the medium has changed.
—Harvard Business Review, 20 Sep. 2025
The kind of free speech and lively discourse that Kirk espoused involved spreading hateful conspiracy theories and misinformation.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
That’s the gamut of thought espoused by the head of a large dealer group and two executives at a company that specializes in dealership mergers and acquisitions during last week’s Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
The founder of The Free Press, Weiss has espoused conservative leanings on many issues of the day.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
In the past, Musk has espoused paying penalties rather than waiting for approvals as a way of doing business.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
The movie follows the Shakers’ irrepressible leader — who espoused gender and social equality while believing herself to be the female incarnation of Christ.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital revealed that Edge espoused anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theories.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The research found that 59% of those posts espoused conspiracy theories about Jews, such as that Jewish people control governments, that Jews are satanic in nature, or that the Holocaust never occurred or misrepresentations of what happened during the Holocaust.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s nothing new about humans seeking to optimize their health and extend their lives (Hippocrates espoused cold baths; Benjamin Franklin touted vegetarianism), but the medium has changed.
—Harvard Business Review, 20 Sep. 2025
The kind of free speech and lively discourse that Kirk espoused involved spreading hateful conspiracy theories and misinformation.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
That’s the gamut of thought espoused by the head of a large dealer group and two executives at a company that specializes in dealership mergers and acquisitions during last week’s Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espoused
Adjective
-
The couple married in 2014, welcoming their first child in 2015 and their second child in 2020.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Away from the cameras, Beghe was previously married to fellow actress Angie Janu.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To further enrage Predator purists, Thia and Dek adopt a cuddly little monkey-ish creature as their companion, a CGI bit of whimsy seemingly borrowed from Pixar.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The name of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
He was later adopted and raised by his grandmother.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The bounty hunter kills some random dudes who are dumb enough to cross him and steals a Falka doll from some little girls who have adopted the Rats as folk heroes.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There, surrounded by mobsters, the future moviemaker embraced Catholicism and the Italian code of omertà.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Meghann Fahy Fahy embraced romantic sensibility in her look from Chloé’s fall 2025 collection.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Shortly after spurning his conjugal love tent vehicle, Colby received a call from Pontiac with a proposition.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The figures include Abigail Abbot Bailey, an eighteenth-century New Englander whose efforts to leave her abusive husband, Asa, were hindered not just by strictures against divorce but also by the prevailing attitudes toward conjugal desire.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
26 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
The Johnson Administration said the AFDC rewarded indolence, and condoned non-marital child bearing.—
Stephanie Land,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Searchlight Pictures’ marital dark comedy satire The Roses starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman will debut on streaming November 20 exclusively on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Espoused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espoused. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share