1
as in marrying
to give in marriage
a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in proposing
to take as a spouse
heeded his father's advice to espouse someone with whom he had common interests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adopting
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 espousing
The writings are filled with extremist material espousing anti-Islamic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ views.
—
Tom Winter, NBC news, 19 May 2026
And repetition – espousing the same ideas again and again – was an effective tactic.
—Yu-Ru Lin, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
Campa-Najjar’s journey from espousing progressive positions to conservative ones and back again has required him to do a lot of explaining in recent years.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
However, the two political figures have also found common ground on the issue of affordability, with the president espousing a surprisingly positive tone about the mayor during the pair’s first Oval Office meeting last November.
—Sarah Davis, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2026
Presumably, this presented Hulu with its clearest, cleanest path to finally getting past the Whedon mess that had cast a shadow over the franchise espousing female empowerment.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
The mom recalls her as a former student espousing a radical totalitarian ideology, and the new girlfriend begins to build a powerful following, tearing apart the family from within.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Here’s Bianco on social media not long ago, once again definitely not espousing partisan voter conspiracies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Tom Winter, NBC news, 19 May 2026
And repetition – espousing the same ideas again and again – was an effective tactic.
—Yu-Ru Lin, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
Campa-Najjar’s journey from espousing progressive positions to conservative ones and back again has required him to do a lot of explaining in recent years.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
However, the two political figures have also found common ground on the issue of affordability, with the president espousing a surprisingly positive tone about the mayor during the pair’s first Oval Office meeting last November.
—Sarah Davis, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2026
Presumably, this presented Hulu with its clearest, cleanest path to finally getting past the Whedon mess that had cast a shadow over the franchise espousing female empowerment.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
The mom recalls her as a former student espousing a radical totalitarian ideology, and the new girlfriend begins to build a powerful following, tearing apart the family from within.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Here’s Bianco on social media not long ago, once again definitely not espousing partisan voter conspiracies.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espousing
Verb
-
The 71-year-old Today show weatherman shared details from Leila's big day marrying Sylvain Gricourt during the Monday, June 1 broadcast of the NBC morning show.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
The couple made things all the more official by marrying in 2014.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Over the last few years, an increasing number of higher education institutions across the country have begun adopting some form of the three-year degree, including several in Connecticut’s neighboring states.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
4 June 2026
-
Consumers are also adopting the tech to outsource administrative tasks.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The duo established themselves as fixtures of the tabloid era known for staging paparazzi photos, fueling feuds and embracing the attention that came with being reality television’s most famous pair.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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Imperfect measurement is not an argument for embracing ignorance.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
All of this means that Peru, unlike other countries in the region, can afford to pay its debts while borrowing money at relatively low interest rates.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
Cash from their ads, cloud, and e-commerce businesses easily covered early spending, but then companies started borrowing to pay for AI.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espousing. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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