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 The beach is the stuff of postcards and paintings, hugged by cliffs with improbably radiant aquamarine water and a giant conical rock formation right in the middle of the bay. — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2026 The dynamic duo giggled and hugged as curious onlookers took out their iPhones and started snapping away. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Aug. 2026 Miranda Hope says in a scene as the trailer cuts to a shot of Paul sobbing and being hugged by Neeley, Mikayla Matthews and Jessi Draper. — Selome Hailu, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026 The ringleader of it all was a 22-year-old rookie who hugged and high-fived his new fans and exhorted them to get louder. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Her other son, Hudson, could be seen smiling as Brayden hugged him. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugged
  1. congratulated
  2. clasped
  3. clung
  4. grabbed
  5. embraced
Verb
  • In a statement sent to Variety in March, Parton congratulated Cyrus on the anniversary special.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In the comments, fans congratulated Aly on her Broadway debut while others shared their disappointment over not being able to see the duo live.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • The new mothers clasped their babies close as a pack of teenagers ran through the park.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of clasped
Verb
  • Ryder clung onto Nathaniel as waves repeatedly crashed over them.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of clung
Verb
  • Clark then went back to his golf bag, grabbed another iron, and placed it behind the ball.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The one that has grabbed most of the headlines is its pull back from LIV.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • Warsh, despite his arrival as a disruptor of Fed protocol, embraced that summer-retreat spirit.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For three decades, in an increasingly noisy and stress-filled world, Miraval Arizona has embraced its philosophy of Life in Balance, pioneering the concept of transformative wellbeing through mindfulness.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 28 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 29 Aug. 2026.

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