espouse

espouse

adopt; champion, advocate: espouse a plan; to marry

Not to be confused with:

expound – explain; state in detail: to expound a theory

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

es·pouse

 (ĭ-spouz′)

tr.v. es·poused, es·pous·ing, es·pous·es

1. To adhere to or advocate: espoused a contrarian viewpoint.

2.

a. To take in marriage; marry.

b. To give (a woman) in marriage.

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[Middle English espousen, to marry, from Old French espouser, from Latin spōnsāre, frequentative of spondēre, to betroth; see spend- in Indo-European roots.]

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es·pous′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

espouse

(ɪˈspaʊz)

vb (tr)

1. to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc): to espouse socialism.

2. archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry

[C15: from Old French espouser, from Latin spōnsāre to affiance, espouse]

esˈpouser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

es•pouse

(ɪˈspaʊz, ɪˈspaʊs)

v.t. -poused, -pous•ing.

1. to adopt or embrace, as a cause.

2. to marry.

3. to give (a woman) in marriage.

[1425–75; < Middle French espouser < Latin spōnsāre to betroth]

es•pous′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

espouse

Past participle: espoused
Gerund: espousing

Imperative

espouse

espouse

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	espouse - choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" adopt, follow choose, pick out, select, take - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" abide by, comply, follow - act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" adhere, stick - be a devoted follower or supporter; "The residents of this village adhered to Catholicism"; "She sticks to her principles"
	2.	espouse - take in marriage       get hitched with, get married, hook up with, marry, wed, conjoin unite, unify - act in concert or unite in a common purpose or belief inmarry - marry within one's own tribe or group; "The inhabitants of this isolated village tend to inmarry" mismarry - marry an unsuitable partner marry, splice, wed, tie - perform a marriage ceremony; "The minister married us on Saturday"; "We were wed the following week"; "The couple got spliced on Hawaii" wive - marry a woman, take a wife wive - take (someone) as a wife intermarry - marry within the same ethnic, social, or family group remarry - marry, not for the first time; "After her divorce, she remarried her high school sweetheart"
	3.	espouse - take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish faith" sweep up, embrace, adopt fasten on, hook on, seize on, take up, latch on - adopt; "take up new ideas" accept - consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

espouse

verb support, back, champion, promote, maintain, defend, adopt, take up, advocate, embrace, uphold, stand up for She ran away to Mexico and espoused the revolutionary cause.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

espouse

verb

1. To join or be joined in marriage:

marry, mate, wed.

Slang: hitch.

Idiom: tie the knot.

2. To take, as another's idea, and make one's own:

adopt, embrace, take on, take up.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

adopterappuyermaintenir

abbracciare [una causa]fiancheggiaresposare [una causa]

aannemenin het huwelijk tredenmetondersteunentot man nemen

espouse

[ɪsˈpaʊz] VT (frm) [+ cause] → adherirse a; [+ plan] → adoptar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

espouse

[ɪˈspaʊz] vt [+ policy, cause] → épouser, embrasser

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

espouse

vt

(old, form) woman → sich vermählen mit, zur Frau nehmen; (= get betrothed to) → sich anverloben (+dat) (old); to become espoused to somebody → jdm angetraut/anverlobt werden

(fig) cause, views → Partei ergreifen für, eintreten für; violence → befürworten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

espouse

[ɪsˈpaʊz] vt (fig) (frm) → abbracciare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995