Hug definition | Dictionary.com

hug

[huhg]

verb, hugged, hug⋅ging, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to clasp tightly in the arms, esp. with affection; embrace.

2.	to cling firmly or fondly to; cherish: to hug an opinion.

3.	to keep close to, as in sailing, walking, or in moving along or alongside of: to hug the shore; to hug the road.

–verb (used without object)

4.	to cling together; lie close.

–noun

5.	a tight clasp with the arms; embrace.

Origin:
1560–70; perh. < ON hugga to soothe, console; akin to OE hogian to care for

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Hug

Spanish:

abrazar,

German:

umarmen,

Japanese:

抱きしめる

View 30 other languages »

hug   (hŭg) Pronunciation Key
v.   hugged, hug·ging, hugs

v.   tr.

To clasp or hold closely, especially in the arms, as in affection; embrace.
To hold steadfastly to; cherish: He still hugs his outmoded beliefs.
To stay close to: a sailboat hugging the shore.

v. intr.
To embrace or cling together closely.
n.

A close, affectionate embrace.
A crushing embrace, as in wrestling.

[Probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hugga, to comfort.]
hug'ga·ble adj., hug'ger n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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hug

1567, hugge "to embrace," perhaps from O.N. hugga "to comfort," from hugr "courage, mood," from P.Gmc. *hugjan, related to O.E. hycgan "to think, consider," Goth. hugs "mind, soul, thought." Other have noted the similarity in some senses to Ger. hegen "to foster, cherish," originally "to enclose with a hedge." The noun was originally (1617) a hold in wrestling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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hug
noun
1.	a tight or amorous embrace; "come here and give me a big hug"
verb
1.	squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness; "Hug me, please"; "They embraced"; "He hugged her close to him" [syn: embrace]
2.	fit closely or tightly; "The dress hugged her hips"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Hug

Hug\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Hugged; p. pr. & vb. n. Hugging.] [Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. sidde paa huk to squat, Sw. huka sig to squat, Icel. h?ka. Cf. Huckster.]

1. To cower; to crouch; to curl up. [Obs.] --Palsgrave.

2. To crowd together; to cuddle. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Hug

Hug\, v. t. 1. To press closely within the arms; to clasp to the bosom; to embrace. "And huggen me in his arms." --Shak.

2. To hold fast; to cling to; to cherish.

We hug deformities if they bear our names. --Glanvill.

3. (Naut.) To keep close to; as, to hug the land; to hug the wind.

To hug one's self, to congratulate one's self; to chuckle.

Hug

Hug\, n. A close embrace or clasping with the arms, as in affection or in wrestling. --Fuller.