bear-hugged; bear-hugging; bear-hugs
: to embrace in a bear hug
: a rough tight embrace
Synonyms
Examples of bear-hug in a Sentence
Verb
elated team members bear-hugging everyone in sight
Noun
He gave his brother a bear hug.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2025
But in his Instagram post yesterday, Zuckerberg bear-hugged the term, using it as a synonym for the entire practice of content moderation itself.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2025
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
Arriving at the Netflix Spago after-party, the grinning Saldaña was clutching her golden statue as her handlers surrounded her in a triumphant bear hug.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bear-hug 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Recommended Why Republicans blasted Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. – and bear-hugged Kash Patel
That does not seem likely to overcome Mr. Trump’s preference for unilateral action over international engagement in remaking U.S. foreign policy.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2025
But in his Instagram post yesterday, Zuckerberg bear-hugged the term, using it as a synonym for the entire practice of content moderation itself.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
Trump During his first meeting with Trump in 2017, Modi enveloped the president, who is known for his awkward power handshakes, in a bear hug.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
Arriving at the Netflix Spago after-party, the grinning Saldaña was clutching her golden statue as her handlers surrounded her in a triumphant bear hug.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bear-hug
Dictionary Entries Near bear-hug
Cite this Entry
“Bear-hug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear-hug. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share