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
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Recent Examples of hugged
After it was read, Dunn hugged his lawyers in the courtroom.
—
Stephen Sorace , Louis Casiano , Jake Gibson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Kinloch offers advice, not concession to Sheffield After giving his speech, Kinloch shook hands, hugged and took photos with his supporters, who generally radiated smiles and continued dancing, despite his loss in the race.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
After sharing vocals and dancing around the stage, Rico and Williams hugged as the crowd screamed.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Her other son could be seen smiling as Brayden hugged him.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
As per usual, her shiny blond ends hugged the bottom of her ears, not a long strand in sight.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2025
Many fans — kids, adults, seniors — hugged outside the building.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The property sits in a high valley of the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (quite close to the Austrian border) and is hugged by meadows and forests.
—Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
When a song ended, smiling dancers high-fived or hugged and separated, in search of a new dance partner for the next song.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
Stephen Sorace , Louis Casiano , Jake Gibson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Kinloch offers advice, not concession to Sheffield After giving his speech, Kinloch shook hands, hugged and took photos with his supporters, who generally radiated smiles and continued dancing, despite his loss in the race.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
After sharing vocals and dancing around the stage, Rico and Williams hugged as the crowd screamed.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Her other son could be seen smiling as Brayden hugged him.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
As per usual, her shiny blond ends hugged the bottom of her ears, not a long strand in sight.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2025
Many fans — kids, adults, seniors — hugged outside the building.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The property sits in a high valley of the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (quite close to the Austrian border) and is hugged by meadows and forests.
—Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
When a song ended, smiling dancers high-fived or hugged and separated, in search of a new dance partner for the next song.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugged
Verb
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Backstage, various superstars applauded and congratulated him on the win, including Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk — who knows a little something about landing a 900 — congratulated Ovechkin on the milestone.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Hannah McGuire stepped up to a microphone outside City Hall with hands clasped together in front of her and took a deep breath.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Nov. 2025
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The pair took a spin through the watery exhibits, and then Hanks clasped his hands together.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 85-year-old Pelosi clung to her job in the House well past her time.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Shakarna grabbed her medication and headed to try to reach her, fearing for her life.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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However, baseball has now fully embraced technologies such as data analytics and AI for performance analysis.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
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Two readers left five-star reviews and shared their own freezer methods, so this is certainly a technique embraced by the Southern Living community.—
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugged. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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