1
as in congratulated
to express to (someone) admiration for his or her success or good fortune
she hugged herself for having made a killing on the investment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clasped
to put one's arms around and press tightly
Grandma hugged the grandchildren good-bye
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hugged
The couple hugged, burying their faces in each other’s shoulders.
—
Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
Hurley immediately threw his hands into the air in disbelief, hugged assistant coach Mike Nardi and paced the sideline with his suit jacket half off and his jaw dropped.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Woodland then hugged his wife, Gabby, and his longtime swing coach, Randy Smith.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
Daughter discusses case Amanda Hundley, one of Smith’s daughters, hugged her mother outside the courthouse on Thursday.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
Banghart said her young kids ran up and hugged Strong when the teams played early last season.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
After the clock struck zero, and Iowa had secured its first Sweet Sixteen berth since 1999, Folgueiras found his mother in the crowd and hugged her.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
The pair hugged each other tightly.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
Hurley immediately threw his hands into the air in disbelief, hugged assistant coach Mike Nardi and paced the sideline with his suit jacket half off and his jaw dropped.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Woodland then hugged his wife, Gabby, and his longtime swing coach, Randy Smith.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
Daughter discusses case Amanda Hundley, one of Smith’s daughters, hugged her mother outside the courthouse on Thursday.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
Banghart said her young kids ran up and hugged Strong when the teams played early last season.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
After the clock struck zero, and Iowa had secured its first Sweet Sixteen berth since 1999, Folgueiras found his mother in the crowd and hugged her.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
The pair hugged each other tightly.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugged
Verb
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Speakers also thanked and congratulated their teams, including prosecutors, police officers, and social workers for helping keep children safe.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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In a statement on Monday, Johnson congratulated King on landing the gig.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Keyla ran around the stage in a black dress adorned with crosses, Richie and Palmer clasped their hands in excitement.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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Sitting in a back room at ExtraMile Arena last weekend, Miller clasped hands with old teammate Steve Barrett, who helped pull him to his feet after an hourlong interview with the Statesman.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At their initial meeting, Ejection clung to the conviction that Chalker was a Mossad operative trying to lure him to his death.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Atallah walked to get a clearer view of the telltale plume of smoke indicating where a bomb or missile had hit; the whole way, Mohammad clung to Atallah’s leg.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shamet was fouled on the play and missed the and-one free throw, but second-year backup big man Ariel Hukporti grabbed the offensive rebound to create a second shot opportunity.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Walmart grabbed 23% of the market share last year, the same as in 2024.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Hugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugged. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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