espouse
Espouse (verb) means to adopt a belief, cause or way of life and openly support it. Example: “The party espoused free trade long before it became popular.”
How to use espouse
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo publicly support an idea or cause.
Formal, mostly written. Very common in political and academic prose; you would rarely say it in conversation.
Espouse takes an idea or cause as its object, not a person or product. You espouse a philosophy but endorse a candidate.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The party _____ free trade long before it became popular.
Etymology
From Old French espouser, from Latin sponsare 'to betroth', from spondere 'to promise'. The sense of committing oneself to a cause grew out of the older sense of committing oneself in marriage.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for espouse
See all rhymes for espouse →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between espouse and endorse?
To espouse a view is to take it on as your own and argue for it over time. To endorse something is to give it your public approval, often briefly and often for someone else's benefit, as when a celebrity endorses a brand. Espousing implies belief; endorsing only implies backing.
Is espouse related to spouse?
Yes, directly. Both go back to Latin spondere 'to promise' by way of the word for a betrothed person, and espouse originally meant to marry. The modern meaning keeps the idea of a binding public commitment, transferred from a person to a cause.
Can you espouse a person?
Only in the old marriage sense, which now reads as deliberately archaic. In current English the object of espouse is an idea, doctrine, principle or cause.
What is the meaning of espouse?
"espouse" (verb) means to adopt a belief, cause or way of life and openly support it.