embody

verb

em·​body im-ˈbä-dē 

embodied; embodying

transitive verb

1

: to give a body to (a spirit) : incarnate

2

a

: to deprive of spirituality

b

: to make concrete and perceptible

3

: to cause to become a body or part of a body : incorporate

4

: to represent in human or animal form : personify

men who greatly embodied the idealism of American life

—A. M. Schlesinger born 1917

embodier noun

Synonyms

• absorb
• assimilate
• co-opt
• incorporate
• integrate

Examples of embody in a Sentence

The legislature embodied a revenue provision in the new law.

they must embody their ideas in substantial institutions if they are to survive

Recent Examples on the Web

The measure also targets fentanyl dealing and possession, which has come to embody the deadliest dimensions of the national opioid epidemic. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

These products, which also make great hostess gifts or stocking stuffers, embody the scents of the season and are a true nod to Christmas. —Christina Shepherd McGuire, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2024

There was a certain amount of art that went into strategizing what information people had to be able to embody their characters, and know what their characters know without opening up any of the more sensitive material to people who didn’t need to know it. —Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

If necessity is the mother of invention, then reinvention must be the mother of resilience—and few embody that better than Martha Stewart. —Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

embody

verb

em·​body im-ˈbäd-ē 

embodied; embodying

1

: to give definite form to

embodied her ideas in suitable words

2

: to cause to become a body or a part of a body or system

the Constitution embodies the fundamental laws of the United States

3

: to represent in visible form

a leader who embodies courage

embodier noun