Adjacent Words

Espouse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ESPOUSE, v.t. espouz'. [L. spondeo, sponsus, the letter n, in the latter, must be casual, or the modern languages have lost the letter. The former is most probable; in which case, spondeo was primarily spodeo, sposus.]
1. To betroth.
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph. Matthew 1.
2. To betroth; to promise or engage in marriage, by contract in writing, or by some pledge; as, the king espoused his daughter to a foreign prince. Usually and properly followed by to, rather than with.
3. To marry; to wed.
4. To unite intimately or indissolubly.
I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11.
5. To embrace; to take to one's self, with a view to maintain; as, to espouse the quarrel of another; to espouse a cause.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" [syn: adopt, follow, espouse]
2: take in marriage [syn: marry, get married, wed, conjoin, hook up with, get hitched with, espouse]
3: take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish faith" [syn: espouse, embrace, adopt, sweep up]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (espoused; espousing) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espuser, from Late Latin sponsare to betroth, from Latin sponsus betrothed — more at spouse Date: 15th century 1. marry 2. to take up and support as a cause ; become attached to Synonyms: see adopt • espouser noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 adopt or support (a cause, doctrine, etc.). 2 archaic a (usu. of a man) marry. b (usu. foll. by to) give (a woman) in marriage. Derivatives: espouser n. Etymology: ME f. OF espouser f. L sponsare f. sponsus past part. of spondere betroth

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Espouse Es*pouse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Espoused; p. pr. & vb. n. Espousing.] [OF. espouser, esposer, F. ['e]pouser, L. sponsare to betroth, espouse, fr. sponsus betrothed, p. p. of spondere to promise solemnly or sacredly. Cf. Spouse.] 1. To betroth; to promise in marriage; to give as spouse. A virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph. --Luke i. 27. 2. To take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry. Lavinia will I make my empress, . . . And in the sacred Pantheon her espouse. --Shak. 3. To take to one's self with a view to maintain; to make one's own; to take up the cause of; to adopt; to embrace. ``He espoused that quarrel.'' --Bacon. Promised faithfully to espouse his cause as soon as he got out of the war. --Bp. Burnet.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(espouses, espousing, espoused) If you espouse a particular policy, cause, or belief, you become very interested in it and give your support to it. (FORMAL) She ran away with him to Mexico and espoused the revolutionary cause. VERB: V n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(2 Sam. 3:14), to betroth. The espousal was a ceremony of betrothing, a formal agreement between the parties then coming under obligation for the purpose of marriage. Espousals are in the East frequently contracted years before the marriage is celebrated. It is referred to as figuratively illustrating the relations between God and his people (Jer. 2:2; Matt. 1:18; 2 Cor. 11:2). (See BETROTH.)

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Betroth, promise in marriage, plight. 2. [Said of a father or sponsor.] Give in marriage, marry, wed, give as spouse. 3. [Said of a bridegroom.] Marry, wed. 4. Adopt, defend, embrace, maintain, support, take up.

Moby Thesaurus

accept, adopt, advocate, affiliate, allege in support, answer, approve, argue for, assert, back, be made one, be spliced, become one, campaign for, carry, catch, champion, contend for, contract matrimony, counter, couple, crusade for, defend, embrace, get hitched, go in for, intermarry, interwed, maintain, make a plea, marry, mate, miscegenate, pair off, pass, plead for, ratify, rebut, refute, remarry, reply, respond, rewed, riposte, say in defense, speak for, speak up for, stand up for, stick up for, support, sustain, take on, take to wife, take up, uphold, urge reasons for, wed, wive