Hug — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a tight or amorous embrace

squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/hˈʌɡ/

🇬🇧British English

/hˈɪntələnd/

🇮🇳Indian English

/hˈɪntələnd/

1 syllable Say it as /hˈʌɡ/.

Examples

come here and give me a big hug
Hug me, please
They embraced

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

embrace clinch squeeze bosom

Parts of Speech

noun	a tight or amorous embrace “come here and give me a big hug”
verb	squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness “Hug me, please”
verb	fit closely or tightly “The dress hugged her hips”

Word Forms

hug	verb	squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
clinch	verb	hold in a tight grasp
embracement	noun	the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
embrace	noun	the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
embracing	noun	the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection)
hug	noun	a tight or amorous embrace
hugger	noun	a person who hugs
hugging	noun	affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
bosom	noun	a person's breast or chest

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Umarmung

eine enge oder verliebte Umarmung

🇫🇷French

câlin

une étreinte serrée ou amoureuse

🇪🇸Spanish

abrazo

un abrazo fuerte o amoroso

🇮🇹Italian

abbraccio

un abbraccio stretto o amoroso

🇳🇱Dutch

knuffel

een strakke of amoureuze omhelzing

🇵🇹Portuguese

abraço

um abraço apertado ou amoroso

🇷🇺Russian

обнимать

крепкие или любовные объятия

India

🇮🇳Hindi

आलिंगन

एक कड़ा या कामुक आलिंगन

🇧🇩Bengali

আলিঙ্গন

একটি আঁটসাঁট বা প্রেমময় আলিঙ্গন

🇮🇳Tamil

கட்டிப்பிடி

ஒரு இறுக்கமான அல்லது காதல் அரவணைப்பு

🇮🇳Telugu

కౌగిలించుకో

గట్టి లేదా రసిక ఆలింగనం

🇮🇳Marathi

मिठी

घट्ट किंवा प्रेमळ मिठी

🇮🇳Gujarati

આલિંગન

એક ચુસ્ત અથવા રમૂજી આલિંગન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಪ್ಪುಗೆ

ಬಿಗಿಯಾದ ಅಥವಾ ಕಾಮುಕ ಅಪ್ಪುಗೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ആലിംഗനം

ഇറുകിയതോ കാമമോ ആയ ആലിംഗനം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਜੱਫੀ

ਇੱਕ ਤੰਗ ਜਾਂ ਕਾਮੁਕ ਗਲੇ

🇵🇰Urdu

گلے لگانا

ایک سخت یا دلکش گلے لگانا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

拥抱

紧紧的或充满爱意的拥抱

🇯🇵Japanese

ハグ

きつい、または好色な抱擁

🇰🇷Korean

껴안다

꽉 또는 사랑의 포옹

🇻🇳Vietnamese

ôm

một cái ôm chặt chẽ hoặc đầy yêu thương

🇹🇭Thai

กอด

อ้อมกอดที่แน่นแฟ้นหรือเต็มไปด้วยความรัก

🇮🇩Indonesian

memeluk

pelukan erat atau penuh cinta

🇵🇭Filipino

yakapin

isang mahigpit o mapagmahal na yakap

🇲🇾Malay

peluk

pelukan yang erat atau penuh asmara

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

حضن

احتضان ضيق أو غرامي

🇮🇷Persian

بغل کردن

یک آغوش محکم یا عاشقانه

🇹🇷Turkish

sarılmak

sıkı ya da aşk dolu bir kucaklaşma

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְחַבֵּק

חיבוק הדוק או מאוהב

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'hug'?

The primary meaning of 'hug' is 'a tight or amorous embrace'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'hug' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'hug' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'hug' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'hug' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'hug' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'hug' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'hug' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'hug' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'hug' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'hug' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted