hugged

verb

past tense of hug
1
as in congratulated
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 clasped
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 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 hugged Mills was crowned the winner and the teammates hugged out their differences. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026 The audience broke into cheers during the impromptu duet and as the pair hugged before Sudeikis headed back into the crowd. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 The funnyman and frontman, Marcus Mumford, hugged at the song’s end. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 Lombard rounded the bases as his parents cheered and hugged in the stands. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 The two stars hugged it out until Owens threw the first punch. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Saldaña, shimmering in Cartier, mingled with costars and hugged fans and friends, giving Kidman an especially tight squeeze. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026 He’s been seen riding on the back of another monkey, sitting with the adults and being groomed and hugged. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Villagers hugged trees to save them from being cut and to promote sustainable use, regeneration, and protection of forest resources. — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugged
  1. congratulated
  2. clasped
  3. clung
  4. grabbed
  5. embraced
Verb
  • Walter put a take-it-or-leave-it bid on the table so high — hundreds of millions above where the other bidders had been in the process — that former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt called off the auction and congratulated Walter.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The former Vanderpump star says no one from her former Bravo family has congratulated her on House of Stassi’s success, except for Tom Schwartz.
    — McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • In 1975, as Cold War tensions thawed, an American commander and his Soviet counterpart clasped hands in space after their spacecraft docked.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
  • This gadget from the comics is typically depicted as a metal collar clasped around a mutant’s neck.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026
Definition of clasped
Verb
  • One man desperately clung to a light pole in Cambridge City as muddy, brown water swirled around him, before he was eventually rescued.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Construction workers clung to a malfunctioning crane Friday as its arm collapsed onto the pool deck of a neighboring luxury high-rise in Miami, video shot by a bystander showed.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of clung
Verb
  • Reyes allegedly grabbed her by the hair and started to punch her multiple times.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Soon after, the Macklowe Gallery owners sold that place and grabbed a rental across from Lincoln Center, spending their time traveling, working, and enjoying a wonderfully free, untethered life.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • Its popularity waned in the 1960s but contemporary filmmakers such as Brady Corbet, Yorgos Lanthimos and Paul Thomas Anderson have embraced the format.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • After all, the records have always been set by humans who embraced better tools.
    — Ruba Borno, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of embraced

Browse Nearby Words

hugest
hugged
hugger-mugger
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Cite this Entry

“Hugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugged. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hugged

Nglish: Translation of hugged for Spanish Speakers

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