hug
hug
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "hug" is /hʌɡ/.
/hʌɡ/
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: hug
Plural Noun: hugs
Base Verb: hug
Third Person Singular Present Verb: hugs
Present Participle/Gerund: hugging
Past Tense/Past Participle Verb: hugged
Adjective (derived from verb): huggable
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A tight, affectionate embrace, typically with the arms wrapped around another person as an expression of love, comfort, or greeting.
Synonyms: embrace, cuddle, squeeze, clasp, embrace
Antonyms: push, shove, release, separation, rebuff
Verb
Definition 1: To clasp someone tightly in one's arms, typically to show affection, comfort, or greeting.
Example: She hugged her son goodbye before he left for school.
Synonyms: embrace, cuddle, squeeze, clasp, hold
Antonyms: push away, release, let go, reject
Definition 2: (Figurative) To keep close to something, often for comfort, safety, or adherence.
Example: The car hugged the curve of the road.
Synonyms: cling to, adhere to, embrace, follow closely
Antonyms: deviate from, drift from, abandon, disregard
Examples of Use
Books:
"She wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him and just hug him until all the sadness was gone." (From "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig, August 2020)
"A good hug could sometimes mend a broken spirit faster than any words." (From "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, August 2018)
Newspapers:
"After a long separation, families shared emotional hugs at the airport." ( The Guardian, May 2023)
"The prime minister offered a sympathetic hug to the victims of the tragedy during his visit." (The New York Times, February 2024)
Online Publications:
"The science behind why a good hug can reduce stress and boost your mood." ( Psychology Today, October 2022)
"Learn how to give the perfect hug with these simple tips." (Healthline, January 2023)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the animated film Big Hero 6, the robot Baymax is programmed to give "comfort hugs" to those in distress. (Released November 2014)
Television Series: In an episode of Ted Lasso, the character Ted often offers a supportive hug to his team members when they are struggling. (Aired May 2023)
Music: The song "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran includes the lyric, "Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms, barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song, when you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath, but you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight." While not explicitly using the word "hug," the imagery evokes a close embrace. (Released September 2017)
Social Media (X/Twitter): "Needed that hug today. Feeling much better now. #selfcare" (User tweet, April 2024)
General Public Discourse:
"Come here and give me a big hug!" (Common phrase from a parent to a child)
"I really needed a hug after that tough day at work." (Conversational use among friends)
"Let's hug it out." (A phrase often used to resolve a minor disagreement)
10 Quotes Using Hug
"A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange." (Author Unknown)
"We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth." (Virginia Satir)
"Sometimes all you need is a big hug." (Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts)
"I have learned that there is more power in a good hug than in a thousand meaningful words." (Ann Hood)
"A hug is like a boomerang – you get it back right away." (Bil Keane)
"A hug is a silent way of saying 'you matter'." (Author Unknown)
"Where words fail, a hug speaks." (Author Unknown)
"Love is a long, sweet hug." (Author Unknown)
"You can't hug a child with an arm full of stuff." (Joyce Meyer)
"A hug is a handshake from the heart." (Author Unknown)
Etymology
The word "hug" as we know it today, meaning to embrace someone, is believed to have popped up in the English language around the mid-1500s, with the earliest recorded use as a verb around 1567.
Its exact origin isn't perfectly clear, but the most widely accepted idea is that it comes from an Old Norse word, "hugga." In Old Norse, "hugga" meant "to comfort" or "to console." Imagine someone trying to make another person feel better by putting their arms around them – that comforting action seems to be the root of our modern "hug."
Some also suggest a possible connection to the German word "hegen," which means "to foster" or "to cherish," and originally meant "to enclose with a hedge." While a hedge encloses, the "comforting" sense from Old Norse seems to be a closer fit to how we use "hug" today.
So, essentially, our act of wrapping our arms around someone for affection or comfort has a linguistic lineage that traces back to a very old word for making someone feel better.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hug
Hug it out: To settle a disagreement or misunderstanding by embracing.
Bear hug: A very tight, strong embrace.
Group hug: When several people embrace each other at once.
Hug a tree: To be an environmentalist; to be overly sentimental about nature (often used slightly pejoratively).
Hug the road/curve: For a vehicle to stay very close to the surface or shape of the road, indicating good handling.
Hug the coast/shore: To stay close to the coastline while traveling.
Hug the shadows: To stay close to dark or concealed areas.
A hug in a mug: A warm, comforting drink.
Hug the pillow: To stay in bed longer than intended, usually in comfort.
Hug of death: (Informal, tech) When an unexpected surge of popularity or traffic overwhelms a server or website, causing it to crash.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hug from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
