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as in borrowed
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
after working among them for two years in the Peace Corps, she felt compelled to espouse the peasants' cause for social justice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of espoused
Sam Reed, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2026
Overall, the study participants who saw the biased AI text shifted their positions toward those espoused by the AI.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Racial profiling is virtually a stated part of the department’s strategy, and ad campaigns have openly espoused white-nationalist rhetoric and talking points.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
No matter what agenda the president espoused—the economic pragmatism of Rafsanjani, the liberal aspirations of Mohammad Khatami, the populist provocations of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the nuclear diplomacy of Hassan Rouhani—Khamenei emasculated him.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026
He's found success as a media personality by posting news and political commentary, which has espoused various conspiracy theories.
—USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
After Dylann Roof massacred nine African American worshippers at Charleston’s Emmanuel AME Church in 2015, he was found to have espoused white supremacist ideas and posted a photo of the Confederate battle flag on his website.
—Jennifer Murray, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Assad, a member of the Alawite religious minority, officially espoused a secular ideology.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Many of the tenets that 18th-century Shaker movement founder Ann Lee espoused hundreds of years ago could well enlighten today’s not-always-inclusive culture, says Amanda Seyfried.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
Next, Hathaway espoused the importance of hair and makeup to the crowd before asking Wintour to once again reveal the nominees.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2026
Overall, the study participants who saw the biased AI text shifted their positions toward those espoused by the AI.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Racial profiling is virtually a stated part of the department’s strategy, and ad campaigns have openly espoused white-nationalist rhetoric and talking points.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
No matter what agenda the president espoused—the economic pragmatism of Rafsanjani, the liberal aspirations of Mohammad Khatami, the populist provocations of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the nuclear diplomacy of Hassan Rouhani—Khamenei emasculated him.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026
He's found success as a media personality by posting news and political commentary, which has espoused various conspiracy theories.
—USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
After Dylann Roof massacred nine African American worshippers at Charleston’s Emmanuel AME Church in 2015, he was found to have espoused white supremacist ideas and posted a photo of the Confederate battle flag on his website.
—Jennifer Murray, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Assad, a member of the Alawite religious minority, officially espoused a secular ideology.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Many of the tenets that 18th-century Shaker movement founder Ann Lee espoused hundreds of years ago could well enlighten today’s not-always-inclusive culture, says Amanda Seyfried.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for espoused
Adjective
-
The married father of two sons, who had been on the force for seven months, was making his regular rounds and stopped at Circle K, spotting Teresa talking with a 16-year-old boy outside the store, according to court records.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Hurt was married to late actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and married Schrader in 1983.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The amount borrowed could be adjusted to coordinate with other proposals to help address the solvency gap, Kaine said.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
-
According to the study, 40% of medical students borrowed more than $50,000 in a single year, while 14% had lifetime federal debt of more than $200,000.—
Suzanne King,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Put pre-matched outfits on the same hanger.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The 14th Amendment − one of a trio of constitutional amendments adopted after the Civil War − overrode the Supreme Court’s infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not be citizens.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The directness with which the camera meets the eyes of the film’s subjects suggests compassion for their disfigurement and isolation (indeed, Farrokhzad adopted a boy from the colony), but there are no interviews.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But Stavros believes ownership could spread to multiples of that number if America once again embraced an instrument called the ESOP, for Employee Stock Ownership Plan.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Vogue’s Favorite Wedge Mules Street style has already embraced the shoe, where fashion insiders in Paris and Milan paired both classic black leather options and pop of red styles with skirts and mini dresses for subtle lift.—
María Munsuri,
Vogue,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Composed at Rose’s prompting and anticipating Flanagan’s extraordinary Pain Journal, the volume is so direct in its account of the couple’s conjugal life that the Indian authorities tossed its original print run into the ocean before the books could ship from Chennai to New York.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Shortly after spurning his conjugal love tent vehicle, Colby received a call from Pontiac with a proposition.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As for the marital assets, Kardashian kept the couple’s marital mansion and remained the sole beneficiary of a multi-million-dollar life insurance policy held by Odom.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The memoir has struck a chord with readers facing unexpected divorces or other marital devastation.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Espoused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/espoused. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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