Standard Lemma guide

hug

noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • hŭg
  • /hʌɡ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Northern-England: /hʊɡ/
  • rhymes with -ʌɡ
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AH1 G Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A close embrace, especially when charged with an emotion such as affection, joy, relief, lust, anger, aggression, compassion, and the like, as opposed to being characterized by formality, equivocation or ambivalence (a half-embrace or "little hug").

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A particular grip in wrestling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To crouch; to huddle as with cold.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To cling closely together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To embrace by holding closely, especially in the arms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: reciprocal, transitive

Examples

  • Billy hugged Danny until he felt better.
  • They hugged for what seemed like an eternity.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To stay close to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • to hug the shore, to hug the coastline

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To hold fast; to cling to; to cherish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a tight or amorous embrace

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • come here and give me a big hug

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clinch, squeeze

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: embrace, embracing, embracement

9

verb

Meaning 9

fit closely or tightly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The dress hugged her hips

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: touch, adjoin, meet, contact

10

verb

Meaning 10

squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Hug me, please
  • They embraced
  • He hugged her close to him

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: embrace, bosom, squeeze

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: clasp

Narrower terms: clinch, cuddle, interlock, lock

History

Etymology

From earlier hugge (“to embrace, clasp with the arms”) (1560), probably representing a conflation of huck (“to crouch, huddle down”) and Old Norse hugga (“to comfort, console”), from hugr (“mind, heart, thought”), from Proto-Germanic *hugiz (“mind, thought, sense”), cognate with Icelandic hugga (“to comfort”), Old English hyġe (“thought”) (whence high (Etymology 2)).

Across languages

Translations

344 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: knuffel — affectionate embrace
  • Ahom: 𑜀𑜤𑜆𑜫 𑜀𑜥 (kup kū) — affectionate embrace
  • Albanian: përqafim — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: اِحْتِضَان (iḥtiḍān) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: حَضْن (ḥaḍn) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: مُعَانَقَة (muʕānaqa) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: عِنَاق (ʕināq) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: ضَمَّة (ḍamma) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: ضَمَّة (ḍamma) — affectionate embrace
  • Arabic: حُضُن (ḥuḍun) — affectionate embrace
  • Armenian: գրկում (grkum) — affectionate embrace
  • Armenian: գրկախառնություն (grkaxaṙnutʻyun) — affectionate embrace
  • Azerbaijani: qucaq — affectionate embrace
  • Bashkir: ҡосаҡ (qosaq) — affectionate embrace
  • Basque: besarkada — affectionate embrace
  • Belarusian: абды́мкі (abdýmki) — affectionate embrace
  • Belarusian: абні́мкі (abnímki) — affectionate embrace
  • Belarusian: абдо́ймы (abdójmy) — affectionate embrace
  • Belarusian: абня́цце (abnjáccje) — affectionate embrace
  • Belarusian: абня́цьце (abnjácʹcje) — affectionate embrace
  • Central Bikol: kugos — affectionate embrace
  • Bulgarian: прегръ́дка (pregrǎ́dka) — affectionate embrace
  • Bulgarian: обя́тия (objátija) — affectionate embrace
  • Catalan: abraçada — affectionate embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擁抱 /拥抱 (yōngbào) — affectionate embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摟抱 /搂抱 (lǒubào) — affectionate embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偎抱 (wēibào) — affectionate embrace
  • Corsican: abbraciu — affectionate embrace
  • Czech: objetí — affectionate embrace
  • Danish: kram — affectionate embrace
  • Danish: omfavnelse — affectionate embrace
  • Danish: knus — affectionate embrace
  • Dutch: omarming — affectionate embrace
  • Dutch: omhelzing — affectionate embrace
  • Dutch: knuffel — affectionate embrace
  • Dutch: knuffelen — affectionate embrace
  • Esperanto: brakumo — affectionate embrace
  • Esperanto: ĉirkaŭpremo — affectionate embrace
  • Esperanto: ĉirkaŭpreno — affectionate embrace
  • Esperanto: enbrakigo — affectionate embrace
  • Estonian: embus — affectionate embrace
  • Estonian: kalli — affectionate embrace
  • Estonian: kallistus — affectionate embrace
  • Faroese: klemm — affectionate embrace
  • Finnish: hali — affectionate embrace
  • Finnish: halaus — affectionate embrace
  • French: accolade — affectionate embrace
  • French: embrassement — affectionate embrace
  • French: embrassade — affectionate embrace
  • French: étreinte — affectionate embrace
  • French: câlin — affectionate embrace
  • Galician: abrazo — affectionate embrace
  • Georgian: ჩახუტება (čaxuṭeba) — affectionate embrace
  • German: Umarmung — affectionate embrace
  • Greek: αγκαλιά (agkaliá) — affectionate embrace
  • Greek: αγκάλιασμα (agkáliasma) — affectionate embrace
  • Hebrew: חיבוק \ חִבּוּק (khibúk) — affectionate embrace
  • Hindi: आलिंगन (āliṅgan) — affectionate embrace
  • Hindi: आग़ोश (āġoś) — affectionate embrace
  • Hungarian: ölelés — affectionate embrace
  • Icelandic: knús — affectionate embrace
  • Icelandic: faðmlag — affectionate embrace
  • Ido: embraco — affectionate embrace
  • Irish: cuach — affectionate embrace
  • Irish: barróg — affectionate embrace
  • Italian: abbraccio — affectionate embrace
  • Japanese: 抱擁 (hōyō) — affectionate embrace
  • Japanese: ハグ (hagu) — affectionate embrace
  • Kapampangan: kaul — affectionate embrace
  • Kapampangan: kawul — affectionate embrace
  • Kazakh: құшақ (qūşaq) — affectionate embrace
  • Kazakh: құшақтау (qūşaqtau) — affectionate embrace
  • Khmer: អាលិង្គន (ʼaalɨngkŭən) — affectionate embrace
  • Khmer: ការឱបរឹត (kaaʼaoprɨt) — affectionate embrace
  • Korean: 포옹 (poong) — affectionate embrace
  • Central Kurdish: باوەش (baweş) — affectionate embrace
  • Northern Kurdish: hemêz — affectionate embrace
  • Southern Kurdish: باوِش (bawiş) — affectionate embrace
  • Kyrgyz: кучак (kucak) — affectionate embrace
  • Kyrgyz: кучактоо (kucaktoo) — affectionate embrace
  • Latin: complexus — affectionate embrace
  • Latvian: apkampiens — affectionate embrace
  • Lithuanian: apkabinimas — affectionate embrace
  • Luxembourgish: Ëmaarmung — affectionate embrace
  • Macedonian: прегратка (pregratka) — affectionate embrace
  • Macedonian: гушка (guška) — affectionate embrace
  • Macedonian: прегрнување (pregrnuvanje) — affectionate embrace
  • Malay: pelukan — affectionate embrace
  • Malayalam: കെട്ടിപ്പിടിക്കൽ (keṭṭippiṭikkal) — affectionate embrace
  • Malayalam: ആലിംഗനം (āliṅganaṁ) — affectionate embrace
  • Malayalam: ആശ്ലേഷം (āślēṣaṁ) — affectionate embrace
  • Maltese: tgħanniqa — affectionate embrace
  • Mongolian: тэврэлт (tevrelt) — affectionate embrace
  • Norwegian Bokmål: klem — affectionate embrace
  • Old English: clypping — affectionate embrace
  • Iranian Persian: آغوش (âġuš) — affectionate embrace
  • Iranian Persian: بَغَل (baġal) — affectionate embrace
  • Iranian Persian: بَغَل گیری (baġal giri) — affectionate embrace
  • Polish: objęcie — affectionate embrace
  • Polish: uścisk — affectionate embrace
  • Polish: obejmowanie — affectionate embrace
  • Polish: przytulenie — affectionate embrace
  • Portuguese: abraço — affectionate embrace
  • Romanian: îmbrățișare — affectionate embrace
  • Russian: объя́тие (obʺjátije) — affectionate embrace
  • Russian: объя́тия (obʺjátija) — affectionate embrace
  • Russian: обнима́ние (obnimánije) — affectionate embrace
  • Sardinian: abbratzada — affectionate embrace
  • Scottish Gaelic: ioma-ghlacadh — affectionate embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̏грља̄ј — affectionate embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: о̏бухва̄т — affectionate embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: zȁgrljāj — affectionate embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȍbuhvāt — affectionate embrace
  • Sicilian: abbrazzu — affectionate embrace
  • Slovak: objatie — affectionate embrace
  • Slovene: objèm — affectionate embrace
  • Lower Sorbian: łono — affectionate embrace
  • Upper Sorbian: wobjeće — affectionate embrace
  • Upper Sorbian: wobjimanje — affectionate embrace
  • Spanish: abrazo — affectionate embrace
  • Spanish: apapacho — affectionate embrace
  • Spanish: apapuche — affectionate embrace
  • Swedish: kram — affectionate embrace
  • Swedish: omfamning — affectionate embrace
  • Tagalog: yakap — affectionate embrace
  • Tajik: оғуш (oġuš) — affectionate embrace
  • Tajik: бағал (baġal) — affectionate embrace
  • Tatar: кочак (qoçaq) — affectionate embrace
  • Thai: การกอด (gaan-gɔ̀ɔt) — affectionate embrace
  • Thai: กอด (gɔ̀ɔt) — affectionate embrace
  • Turkish: kucak — affectionate embrace
  • Turkish: kucaklama — affectionate embrace
  • Turkish: sarılma — affectionate embrace
  • Turkmen: gujak — affectionate embrace
  • Ukrainian: обі́йми (obíjmy) — affectionate embrace
  • Ukrainian: об'я́ття (obʺjáttja) — affectionate embrace
  • Ukrainian: обійма́ння (obijmánnja) — affectionate embrace
  • Urdu: بَغَل گِیری (baġal gīrī) — affectionate embrace
  • Urdu: آغوش (āġoś) — affectionate embrace
  • Uyghur: قۇچاق (quchaq) — affectionate embrace
  • Uzbek: quchoq — affectionate embrace
  • Vietnamese: sự ôm — affectionate embrace
  • Volapük: lelöfül — affectionate embrace
  • Welsh: cofleidiad — affectionate embrace
  • Yiddish: אומאַרמונג (umarmung) — affectionate embrace
  • Yiddish: אַרומנעם (arumnem) — affectionate embrace
  • Zazaki: vırar — affectionate embrace
  • Albanian: përqafoj — to cling closely together
  • Gheg Albanian: rrok — to cling closely together
  • Azerbaijani: qucaqlaşmaq — to cling closely together
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擁抱 /拥抱 (yōngbào) — to cling closely together
  • Dutch: elkaar omarmen — to cling closely together
  • Esperanto: brakumi — to cling closely together
  • Finnish: painautua yhteen — to cling closely together
  • German: sich umarmen — to cling closely together
  • Greek: αγκαλιάζω (agkaliázo) — to cling closely together
  • Hungarian: összeölelkezik — to cling closely together
  • Icelandic: faðmast — to cling closely together
  • Irish: barróg a thabhairt dá chéile — to cling closely together
  • Italian: abbracciare — to cling closely together
  • Japanese: 抱擁する (hōyō suru) — to cling closely together
  • Japanese: 抱く (idaku) — to cling closely together
  • Central Kurdish: باوەش گرتن (baweş girtin) — to cling closely together
  • Luxembourgish: sech ëmaarmen — to cling closely together
  • Māori: tauawhi — to cling closely together
  • Russian: обнима́ться (obnimátʹsja) — to cling closely together
  • Russian: обня́ться (obnjátʹsja) — to cling closely together
  • Sardinian: abbratzare — to cling closely together
  • Slovene: objéti — to cling closely together
  • Spanish: abrazar — to cling closely together
  • Swedish: kramas — to cling closely together
  • Ukrainian: обійма́тися (obijmátysja) — to cling closely together
  • Ukrainian: обійнятись (obijnjatysʹ) — to cling closely together
  • Albanian: përqafoj — to embrace
  • Arabic: عَانَقَ (ʕānaqa) — to embrace
  • Arabic: اِحْتَضَنَ (iḥtaḍana) — to embrace
  • Arabic: حَضَنَ (ḥaḍana) — to embrace
  • Arabic: ضَمّ (ḍamm) — to embrace
  • Arabic: حَضَن (ḥaḍan) — to embrace
  • Armenian: գրկել (grkel) — to embrace
  • Armenian: փարվել (pʻarvel) — to embrace
  • Aromanian: ambratsu — to embrace
  • Azerbaijani: qucaqlamaq — to embrace
  • Azerbaijani: bağrına basmaq — to embrace
  • Basque: besarkatu — to embrace
  • Belarusian: абдыма́ць (abdymácʹ) — to embrace
  • Belarusian: абня́ць (abnjácʹ) — to embrace
  • Bulgarian: прегръ́щам (pregrǎ́štam) — to embrace
  • Bulgarian: прегъ́рна (pregǎ́rna) — to embrace
  • Burmese: ဖက် (hpak) — to embrace
  • Catalan: abraçar — to embrace
  • Chinese Cantonese: 抱 (pou5) — to embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擁抱 /拥抱 (yōngbào) — to embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摟抱 /搂抱 (lǒubào) — to embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偎抱 (wēibào) — to embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摟摟 /搂搂 (lǒulou) — to embrace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 抱抱 (bàobao) — to embrace
  • Czech: objímat — to embrace
  • Czech: obejmout — to embrace
  • Danish: omfavne — to embrace
  • Danish: kramme — to embrace
  • Danish: knuse — to embrace
  • Dutch: knuffelen — to embrace
  • Dutch: omarmen — to embrace
  • Dutch: omhelzen — to embrace
  • Egyptian: i-n:q-D32:D40 (jnq) — to embrace
  • Egyptian: q:n-i-D32 (qnj) — to embrace
  • Egyptian: H-p:t-D32:a (ḥpt) — to embrace
  • Esperanto: brakumi — to embrace
  • Estonian: embama — to embrace
  • Faroese: klemma — to embrace
  • Faroese: kroysta — to embrace
  • Finnish: halata — to embrace
  • French: étreindre — to embrace
  • French: serrer — to embrace
  • French: embrasser — to embrace
  • Galician: abrazar — to embrace
  • Georgian: მოიცავს (moicavs) — to embrace
  • Georgian: ეხუტება (exuṭeba) — to embrace
  • German: umarmen — to embrace
  • German: drücken — to embrace
  • Greek: αγκαλιάζω (agkaliázo) — to embrace
  • Hebrew: חיבק \ חִבֵּק (khibék) — to embrace
  • Hebrew: חָבַק (khavák) — to embrace
  • Hindi: आलिंगन करना (āliṅgan karnā) — to embrace
  • A Hmao: 𖼀𖽔 — to embrace
  • Hungarian: ölel — to embrace
  • Icelandic: faðma — to embrace
  • Icelandic: knúsa — to embrace
  • Ido: embracar — to embrace
  • Indonesian: memeluk — to embrace
  • Indonesian: mendekap — to embrace
  • Irish: cuach — to embrace
  • Italian: abbracciare — to embrace
  • Japanese: 抱擁する (hōyō suru) — to embrace
  • Japanese: 抱く (idaku) — to embrace
  • Japanese: だく (daku) — to embrace
  • Japanese: ハグする (hagu suru) — to embrace
  • Jeju: 안다 (anda) — to embrace
  • Kabuverdianu: abrasa — to embrace
  • Kabuverdianu: brasá — to embrace
  • Kazakh: құшақтау (qūşaqtau) — to embrace
  • Kazakh: құшу (qūşu) — to embrace
  • Kazakh: айқалау (aiqalau) — to embrace
  • Kazakh: аймалау (aimalau) — to embrace
  • Khmer: អោបរឹត (ʼaoprɨt) — to embrace
  • Korean: 안다 (anda) — to embrace
  • Korean: 포옹하다 (poonghada) — to embrace
  • Korean: 끌어안다 (kkeureoanda) — to embrace
  • Korean: 껴안다 (kkyeoanda) — to embrace
  • Central Kurdish: باوەش گرتن (baweş girtin) — to embrace
  • Kyrgyz: кучактоо (kucaktoo) — to embrace
  • Lao: ກອດ (kǭt) — to embrace
  • Latin: amplector — to embrace
  • Latin: complector — to embrace
  • Latvian: apskaut — to embrace
  • Lithuanian: apkabinti — to embrace
  • Luxembourgish: ëmäerbelen — to embrace
  • Luxembourgish: ëmäermelen — to embrace
  • Luxembourgish: ëmaarmen — to embrace
  • Macedonian: гушка (guška) — to embrace
  • Macedonian: гушне (gušne) — to embrace
  • Macedonian: прегрнува (pregrnuva) — to embrace
  • Macedonian: прегрне (pregrne) — to embrace
  • Macedonian: обгрнува (obgrnuva) — to embrace
  • Macedonian: обгрне (obgrne) — to embrace
  • Malay: memeluk — to embrace
  • Malayalam: കെട്ടിപ്പിടിക്കുക (keṭṭippiṭikkuka) — to embrace
  • Maltese: għannaq — to embrace
  • Maltese: ħaddan — to embrace
  • Māori: kēkeke — to embrace
  • Māori: awhi — to embrace
  • Mongolian: тэврэх (tevrex) — to embrace
  • Norwegian Bokmål: klemme — to embrace
  • Norwegian Bokmål: omfavne — to embrace
  • Nǀuu: ǁxam — to embrace
  • Old English: clyppan — to embrace
  • Old Norse: faðma — to embrace
  • Oromo: hammachuu — to embrace
  • Persian: بغل کردن (baġal kardan) — to embrace
  • Persian: در آغوش گرفتن (dar âġuš gereftan) — to embrace
  • Pitjantjatjara: ampuṉi — to embrace
  • Polish: przytulać — to embrace
  • Polish: przytulić — to embrace
  • Polish: tulić — to embrace
  • Polish: obejmować — to embrace
  • Polish: objąć — to embrace
  • Polish: uściskać — to embrace
  • Polish: uścisnąć — to embrace
  • Portuguese: abraçar — to embrace
  • Romanian: îmbrățișa — to embrace
  • Russian: обнима́ть (obnimátʹ) — to embrace
  • Russian: обня́ть (obnjátʹ) — to embrace
  • Northern Sami: fátmut — to embrace
  • Northern Sami: sallut — to embrace
  • Sardinian: abbratzare — to embrace
  • Scottish Gaelic: ioma-ghlac — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: гр̏лити — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̀грлити — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: о̀бгрлити — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: обујмљи́вати — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: обу́јмити — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: gȑliti — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: zàgrliti — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: òbgrliti — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: obujmljívati — to embrace
  • Serbo-Croatian: obújmiti — to embrace
  • Shor: қучақтарға (quçaqtarğa) — to embrace
  • Slovak: objímať — to embrace
  • Slovak: objať — to embrace
  • Slovene: objemati — to embrace
  • Slovene: objéti — to embrace
  • Spanish: abrazar — to embrace
  • Spanish: apapachar — to embrace
  • Spanish: apapuchar — to embrace
  • Swedish: krama — to embrace
  • Swedish: omfamna — to embrace
  • Tagalog: yakap — to embrace
  • Tajik: оғӯш кардан (oġüš kardan) — to embrace
  • Thai: กอด (gɔ̀ɔt) — to embrace
  • Tocharian B: yäks- — to embrace
  • Turkish: sarılmak — to embrace
  • Ugaritic: 𐎈𐎁𐎖 (ḥbq) — to embrace
  • Ukrainian: обійма́ти (obijmáty) — to embrace
  • Ukrainian: обійня́ти (obijnjáty) — to embrace
  • Ukrainian: обніма́ти (obnimáty) — to embrace
  • Ukrainian: обня́ти (obnjáty) — to embrace
  • Urdu: گلے ملنا (gale milnā) — to embrace
  • Urdu: گلے لگانا (gale lagānā) — to embrace
  • Urdu: ملنا (milnā) — to embrace
  • Uzbek: quchoqlamoq — to embrace
  • Uzbek: quchmoq — to embrace
  • Vietnamese: ôm — to embrace
  • Volapük: lelöfülön — to embrace
  • Yiddish: האַלדזן (haldzn) — to embrace
  • Yiddish: אַרומנעמען (arumnemen) — to embrace
  • Yoruba: dìmọ́ — to embrace
  • Finnish: pysyä lähellä — to stay close to
  • Finnish: pysyä lähettyvillä — to stay close to
  • French: serrer — to stay close to
  • Italian: tenersi vicino — to stay close to
  • Māori: haumiri — to stay close to
  • Māori: miri — to stay close to
  • Spanish: pegarse a — to stay close to