1
as in congratulating
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 clasping
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 hugging
Harbour and Brown arrived together on the red carpet for the premiere of the latest season and were captured on camera laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos.
—
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Sweeney’s look played with proportions, with the leg-hugging footwear offsetting her oversized ensemble.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
The teenager was crying, hugging his sweatshirt to his face.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Similarly, Luar used stretch denim to create a body-hugging micro dress with exaggerated shoulders.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Cardi appeared to shoot the clip either at home or an office of sorts, and in the visual, she is draped in a polka-dot dress, hugging her curves and pregnant belly.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025
After Namakura finished reading it, Styles bowed to the fans and put the mic down in the ring before hugging Nakamura.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Sweeney’s look played with proportions, with the leg-hugging footwear offsetting her oversized ensemble.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
The teenager was crying, hugging his sweatshirt to his face.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Similarly, Luar used stretch denim to create a body-hugging micro dress with exaggerated shoulders.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Cardi appeared to shoot the clip either at home or an office of sorts, and in the visual, she is draped in a polka-dot dress, hugging her curves and pregnant belly.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025
After Namakura finished reading it, Styles bowed to the fans and put the mic down in the ring before hugging Nakamura.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugging
Verb
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The post was met with some excited comments from fans congratulating Bickerstaff on the accomplishment.—
Anne Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Singletary was joined by cast members McKenna Grace, Whitney Peak and Joseph Zada congratulating him.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Flex your left knee at a 90-degree angle and place the rope around the mid-foot, clasping the rope with the right hand.—
Gerard Hartmann,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
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Next page, clasping hands with Schweitzer in her satin, white wedding dress with a rose bouquet.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather, Metropolitan evokes the youthful experience of being home, avoiding family, and clinging to friends during the holiday break, when responsibility remains over the horizon and your whole life is still ahead of you.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
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For pesky food bits clinging to the bottom of your pan, use coarse-ground salt to buff them off gently.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The 5-11 200-pound standout has accumulated mind-boggling stats through nine games -- 1,098 rushing yards and 17 TDs while grabbing a team-leading 42 passes for 974 yards and 18 scores.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
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Nikola Jokic put up 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting, while also dishing out nine assists and grabbing nine rebounds.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Morgan is embracing her new life as a businesswoman, running multiple ventures including her media company Togethxr and investment firm Trybe Ventures.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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So embracing hygge is an integral part of feeling cozy.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugging. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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