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
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
The tension in boys flag football About seven miles away from where the Lick-Wilderming boys are running routes and espousing the value of flag football, the NFL prepares for the inaugural Super Bowl-week Pro Bowl.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The potency of the story is in how Felder, now 58, looks back on the totality of his life as an older gent, espousing wisdom that comes with age and self-interrogation.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Eric Berg With a doctor of chiropractic degree on his resume, Eric Berg entered the public spotlight after espousing the life-affirming benefits of the keto diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that a 2024 NIH study review warns against maintaining long-term without medical supervision.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Both are confident, charismatic personalities who are comfortable espousing ideas that spark controversy, even within their own parties.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 12 Jan. 2026
Publicly, the livestreamer has described himself as a Christian nationalist, espousing anti-LGBTQ, anti-feminist, misogynist views while calling out Kirk’s conservative organization, Turning Point USA, for not taking enough of a hard line.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Epting is accused in the defamation suit of framing a social media post of the former punter’s as espousing violence, which Kluwe denied.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Vance was also at the forefront of a push to rehire Department of Government Efficiency staffer Marko Elez, who resigned after his past social media posts espousing racist sentiments were exposed.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025
Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
The tension in boys flag football About seven miles away from where the Lick-Wilderming boys are running routes and espousing the value of flag football, the NFL prepares for the inaugural Super Bowl-week Pro Bowl.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The potency of the story is in how Felder, now 58, looks back on the totality of his life as an older gent, espousing wisdom that comes with age and self-interrogation.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Eric Berg With a doctor of chiropractic degree on his resume, Eric Berg entered the public spotlight after espousing the life-affirming benefits of the keto diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that a 2024 NIH study review warns against maintaining long-term without medical supervision.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Both are confident, charismatic personalities who are comfortable espousing ideas that spark controversy, even within their own parties.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 12 Jan. 2026
Publicly, the livestreamer has described himself as a Christian nationalist, espousing anti-LGBTQ, anti-feminist, misogynist views while calling out Kirk’s conservative organization, Turning Point USA, for not taking enough of a hard line.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Epting is accused in the defamation suit of framing a social media post of the former punter’s as espousing violence, which Kluwe denied.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Vance was also at the forefront of a push to rehire Department of Government Efficiency staffer Marko Elez, who resigned after his past social media posts espousing racist sentiments were exposed.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espousing
Verb
-
Lovato dated Valderrama from 2010 to 2016, before marrying her husband Jutes in 2025.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
-
As part of the rollout for Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s The Drama, A24 is marrying people at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The legislature hurriedly endorsed the sale during a special session in 2024, adopting — without a public hearing — the enabling legislation needed to allow an unregulated, nonprofit company to buy a regulated water utility.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Animal Services asked for help either fostering, adopting or rescuing the dogs to free up kennel space.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That had several from the Heat embracing Howard after Thursday night’s close of the season series, including Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Reviews have been mixed, with some critics embracing Gyllenhaal’s bold vision and others dismissing it as a whole lot of sound and fury, signifying zilch.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Homebuyers should know which mistakes to protect themselves from to improve their chances of borrowing success this March.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
That could make the central bank less likely to cut benchmark interest rates, meaning that the cost of borrowing money, for businesses and households, would remain higher than was thought even last month.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espousing. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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