1
as in marrying
to give in marriage
a couple eager to espouse their eldest daughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in proposing
to take as a spouse
heeded his father's advice to espouse someone with whom he had common interests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adopting
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
after working among them for two years in the Peace Corps, she felt compelled to espouse the peasants' cause for social justice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of espousing
Hyde’s big-hearted story about the LGBTQ+ community arrived just as a new American president was espousing anti-trans rhetoric from the Oval Office.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
The tension in boys flag football About seven miles away from where the Lick-Wilderming boys are running routes and espousing the value of flag football, the NFL prepares for the inaugural Super Bowl-week Pro Bowl.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The potency of the story is in how Felder, now 58, looks back on the totality of his life as an older gent, espousing wisdom that comes with age and self-interrogation.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Eric Berg With a doctor of chiropractic degree on his resume, Eric Berg entered the public spotlight after espousing the life-affirming benefits of the keto diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that a 2024 NIH study review warns against maintaining long-term without medical supervision.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Both are confident, charismatic personalities who are comfortable espousing ideas that spark controversy, even within their own parties.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 12 Jan. 2026
Publicly, the livestreamer has described himself as a Christian nationalist, espousing anti-LGBTQ, anti-feminist, misogynist views while calling out Kirk’s conservative organization, Turning Point USA, for not taking enough of a hard line.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Epting is accused in the defamation suit of framing a social media post of the former punter’s as espousing violence, which Kluwe denied.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Vance was also at the forefront of a push to rehire Department of Government Efficiency staffer Marko Elez, who resigned after his past social media posts espousing racist sentiments were exposed.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025
Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
The tension in boys flag football About seven miles away from where the Lick-Wilderming boys are running routes and espousing the value of flag football, the NFL prepares for the inaugural Super Bowl-week Pro Bowl.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The potency of the story is in how Felder, now 58, looks back on the totality of his life as an older gent, espousing wisdom that comes with age and self-interrogation.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Eric Berg With a doctor of chiropractic degree on his resume, Eric Berg entered the public spotlight after espousing the life-affirming benefits of the keto diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that a 2024 NIH study review warns against maintaining long-term without medical supervision.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Both are confident, charismatic personalities who are comfortable espousing ideas that spark controversy, even within their own parties.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 12 Jan. 2026
Publicly, the livestreamer has described himself as a Christian nationalist, espousing anti-LGBTQ, anti-feminist, misogynist views while calling out Kirk’s conservative organization, Turning Point USA, for not taking enough of a hard line.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Epting is accused in the defamation suit of framing a social media post of the former punter’s as espousing violence, which Kluwe denied.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Vance was also at the forefront of a push to rehire Department of Government Efficiency staffer Marko Elez, who resigned after his past social media posts espousing racist sentiments were exposed.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espousing
Verb
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Before marrying her husband in 2021, Erika Kirk won Miss Arizona USA in 2012, and received her Juris Master's from Liberty University School of Law in 2019, according to her Instagram.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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In a way, the watch also reflects the spirit and themes of the movie, marrying tech and innovation with the deeply personal.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tucked inside the 2026 Farm Bill is a provision that would reimburse farmers 90% of the cost of adopting AI and precision agriculture technologies — 15 percentage points above the normal EQIP cap.—
Anthony Pahnke,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
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In March 2008, Indiana statute restricted counties from adopting additional PSAPs once one already existed in an effort to consolidate emergency services.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Watching the Chinese Taipei team in tears after an upset win against Korea, and the Japanese fans embracing Czechia’s every grain of success — the moments that made Pool C special were with teams actively growing the game in their country through those brick-by-brick means.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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Meta is not alone in embracing a flat structure.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And like its Big Tech rivals, Meta is borrowing tens of billions a year to finance these deals — another possible sign of overconfidence.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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So borrowing an amount such as $60,000 should be relatively easy to do now that median home equity levels are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espousing. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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