1
as in marrying
to give in marriage
a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of espousing
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
For Hankins-Biggers and her team, espousing empty platitudes isn’t enough.
—Essence, 22 Mar. 2026
Hyde’s big-hearted story about the LGBTQ+ community arrived just as a new American president was espousing anti-trans rhetoric from the Oval Office.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
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
For Hankins-Biggers and her team, espousing empty platitudes isn’t enough.
—Essence, 22 Mar. 2026
Hyde’s big-hearted story about the LGBTQ+ community arrived just as a new American president was espousing anti-trans rhetoric from the Oval Office.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espousing
Verb
-
Their mother is obsessed with marrying all the girls off, but has seemingly decided that bookish, sensible Mary isn’t worth the energy.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
-
After three years of homelessness, she was recruited to model for Vivienne Westwood and ended up marrying a lord.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
To address its funding shortfall, the county is proposing eliminating hundreds of positions and adopting a series of measures that the county asserts will reduce costs and improve efficiency.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
2 May 2026
-
Elderly people may think twice about adopting dogs that have the potential to live much longer.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
So the big production rewrite was embracing Australia, not as some post-apocalyptic Mad Max hellscape, but Australia for Australia.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Victory Tour marked the only time all six brothers — Michael, Jermaine, Randy, Tito, Marlon and Jackie — went on tour together and was also the last time Michael performed with them before fully embracing his solo career.—
PEOPLE,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When borrowing access shrinks, the impact is immediate and structural.—
Lola W. Brabham,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
-
Scientists have found a way to make a new class of gas-trapping glass easier to manufacture by borrowing a centuries-old principle from traditional glassmaking.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espousing. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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