1
as in to congratulate
to express to (someone) admiration for his or her success or good fortune
she hugged herself for having made a killing on the investment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to clasp
to put one's arms around and press tightly
Grandma hugged the grandchildren good-bye
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hug
Hunter Delauder, AJC.com, 7 June 2026
The beach stretches as far as the eye can see, bordered by flowing grassy dunes, while massive cliffs hug its edges.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2026
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Marsh, who had watched Sosa’s sixth-inning strikeout from the top step of the dugout, found Sosa in the dugout and attacked him from behind with a hug.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hug
Verb
People were hugging and high-fiving strangers.
—Hunter Delauder, AJC.com, 7 June 2026
The beach stretches as far as the eye can see, bordered by flowing grassy dunes, while massive cliffs hug its edges.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2026
Noun
The script called for the teen-ager to sign on the line, the mother to follow the agency woman out into the hallway, and the best friend to enter and give the teen-ager a consoling hug.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Marsh, who had watched Sosa’s sixth-inning strikeout from the top step of the dugout, found Sosa in the dugout and attacked him from behind with a hug.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hug
Verb
-
Riquelme congratulated Pérez and accepted the result.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
-
Glashow passed the mic to Rosenthal, who began by congratulating director Quinn Whitney Wilson for the Netflix acquisition of the Tribeca Festival world premiere and her directorial doc debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Newlyweds Tito Avalos, 26, and Andrea Avalos, 24, who were visiting from El Salvador, tied their wishes to a tree together, their wrists entwined and fingers clasped.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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In Wake-Keeper (2026), a roughly four-by-five-foot canvas, a pious man draped in the red cloth of traditional Ghanaian funeral attire sits on a stool with his hands clasped, his body facing the left side of the frame.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
His penchant for unexpected painterly modes would consistently mark the artist’s practice, culminating in his recent and gleeful adoption of the iPad and his embrace of immersive digital art.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
12 June 2026
-
Pulling up to the hotel, even in a constant drizzle synonymous with winter in Paris, I was captivated by its timeless charm and instantly felt its luxurious embrace as my carry-on was whisked inside.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The clipping mass is often too dense to discharge from the mower deck efficiently, increasing the chances of it ending up clinging to the underside of the deck.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 June 2026
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The soft T-shirt fabric feels light without clinging, and the relaxed silhouette leaves plenty of room for airflow on sticky sightseeing days.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
5 June 2026
Noun
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José Caballero doubled in the fifth and scored when Paul Goldschmidt lofted an opposite-field RBI single to right just in front of Wilyer Abreu, who nearly made a sliding, backhand grab.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
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Remarkably, bee after bee in the video grabs on to the little ball and starts moving it around.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
7 June 2026
Verb
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It's also designed to cradle and lock the heel in place, which contributes to a secure fit that prevents your feet from slipping out of the shoe mid-step.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
-
Defying rigid architecture, the home’s interior features free-flowing lines and curves that cradle a freestanding soaking tub, sculptural walk-in shower, fireplace, and spacious beds.—
Kristin Braswell,
Architectural Digest,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hug. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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