Standard Lemma guide

imbrue

verb · 2 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.

  • /ɪmˈbɹuː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uː

1

verb

Meaning 1

To stain [with in or with ‘blood, slaughter, etc.’].

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • My hands were imbrued in his blood.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

permeate or impregnate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The war drenched the country in blood

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drench

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: impregnate, saturate

History

Etymology

From Middle English embrewen, from Old French *embrever (whence Middle French embreuver), metathetic variant of embevrer (“to imbibe, steep, penetrate, soak”) (with same stem variation found in French abreuver and beuverie), from Vulgar Latin imbiberāre.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: опетнявам (opetnjavam) — to stain
  • Bulgarian: омокрям със (omokrjam sǎs) — to stain