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 Supporters cried tears of joy and hugged one another, sharing political news of the city and also the country, as the energy in the crowd further amped up seemingly every half-hour. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 Floris, tears in her eyes, hugged several of her former colleagues before sharing a hug with Benavides. — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026 During the victory ceremony, Lacob shouted out the team and its leaders while Nakase, general manager Ohemma Nyanin and President Jess Smith hugged. — Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026 The women of another WhatsApp group gathered on sofas that hugged the wall of the Naasan family home. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026 Some spoke to members of Davis’ family after the proceeding and hugged them. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 Still in tears, Salman and her mother later hugged each other across the railing between the audience and the courtroom well. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 The two hugged as the Lakers retreated to their timeout huddle. — Jason Quick, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026 The Arrowhead Stadium fans went wild, including Kelce’s wife, Taylor Swift, who hugged singer Este Haim while celebrating the play. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugged
  1. congratulated
  2. clasped
  3. clung
  4. grabbed
  5. embraced
Verb
  • Sorrells congratulated Burks on her victory and said his office will work with her to ensure a smooth transition.
    — Emerson Clarridge Updated November 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder, chairman and CEO, congratulated democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George on her Washington mayoral win.
    — Spencer Kimball,Garrett Downs,Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • Embiid appeared to wonder during the national anthem where the Knicks' championship banner was hanging in the rafters as James sat nearby on the bench with his head bowed and hands clasped.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The patron stands, hands clasped behind his back, with a foot perched on the box.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of clasped
Verb
  • In the house, his children clung to a ceiling fan as rising water pushed their mattress toward the ceiling.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Roadster clung to the surface, hanging upside-down from the ledge like a gecko on a ceiling thanks to a special fan suction system on its chassis.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of clung
Verb
  • One of the officers grabbed a protester who was filming him and deployed pepper spray after a brief struggle.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The story grabbed worldwide attention and ended tragically when the baby’s body was found in the woods just a few miles from home.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • Milei has also embraced data centers and a largely unfettered approach to artificial intelligence regulation, while Pope Leo's inaugural encyclical called for ethical caution and safeguards to protect human dignity in the age of AI.
    — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The city of Lawrence embraced Team Algeria, which had its base camp at Rock Chalk Park, making international headlines.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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