verb (used with object)
1.
to clasp tightly in the arms, especially 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; perhaps < Old Norse hugga to soothe, console; akin to Old English hogian to care for
1560–70; perhaps < Old Norse hugga to soothe, console; akin to Old English hogian to care for
Related forms
hug·ger, noun
hug·ging·ly, adverb
un·hugged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Hug
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| to bark; yelp. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
hug (hʌɡ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , hugs, hugging, hugged | |
| 1. | (also intr) to clasp (another person or thing) tightly or (of two people) to cling close together; embrace |
| 2. | to keep close to a shore, kerb, etc |
| 3. | to cling to (beliefs, etc); cherish |
| 4. | to congratulate (oneself); be delighted with (oneself) |
| —n | |
| 5. | a tight or fond embrace |
| [C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hugga to comfort, Old English hogian to take care of] | |
| 'huggable | |
| —adj | |
| 'hugger | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Their hug-me arms waver in the hot, wet air, as if they are attempting to embrace something vast and invisible.
And hug your parents for all the work they did to prepare you.
Traditional sleeping bags tend to hug the human torso as if it were a piece of meat between two slices of bread.
He grasps an uncooperative mannequin in a bear hug and wrestles it into position.
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