espouse

verb

es·​pouse i-ˈspau̇z 

 also  -ˈspau̇s

espoused; espousing

transitive verb

1

: marry

2

: to take up and support as a cause : become attached to

espouser noun

Did you know?

Commit to Learning the History of Espouse

As you might guess, the words espouse and spouse are hitched, both coming from the Latin verb spondēre, meaning “to promise” or “to betroth.” In fact, the two were once completely interchangeable, with each serving as a noun meaning “a newly married person” or “a husband or wife” and also as a verb meaning “to marry.” Their semantic separation began when the noun espouse fell out of use. Nowadays, espouse is most often encountered as a verb used in the figuratively extended sense “to commit to and support as a cause.”

Synonyms

• marry
• match
• wed

Choose the Right Synonym for espouse

adopt, embrace, espouse mean to take an opinion, policy, or practice as one's own.

adopt implies accepting something created by another or foreign to one's nature.

forced to adopt new policies

embrace implies a ready or happy acceptance.

embraced the customs of their new homeland

espouse adds an implication of close attachment to a cause and a sharing of its fortunes.

espoused the cause of women's rights

Examples of espouse in a Sentence

The new theory has been espoused by many leading physicists.

Those espousing unpopular views were often excluded.

Recent Examples on the Web

The code of conduct relies upon a divisive definition of antisemitism that some have claimed will be used to censor artists that have espoused pro-Palestine views, whether in their art or elsewhere. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Feb. 2025

The scale and suddenness of this offer is unprecedented in the federal government but typical of slash-and-burn management practices espoused by Trump and his efficiency czar, Elon Musk. —Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025

The Abraham Accords defied the conventional wisdom espoused by former Secretary of State John Kerry who said that no Arab state would make peace with Israel while the Palestinian issue is still unresolved. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

His calls for unity was just shy of the Black Power messaging espoused by the Black Panther Party and other more radical freedom fighters of the era. —Essence, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French espuser, from Late Latin sponsare to betroth, from Latin sponsus betrothed — more at spouse

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

espouse

verb

es·​pouse is-ˈpau̇z 

-ˈpau̇s

espoused; espousing

1

a

: marry entry 1 sense 2

b

: marry entry 1 sense 3

2

: to take up the cause of : support

espouser noun