# hug

Pronunciation: say "HUG" /hʌɡ/

## Verb

1. To hold a person or thing closely, usually wrapping your arms around them.
   - Simple: To hold someone close in your arms to show you care.
   - _He hugged his daughter tightly at the airport._
   - _Visitors often hug the costumed characters at the theme park._
3. To stay close to something, following its shape or edge.
   - Simple: To stay very close to something as you move along it.
   - _The trail hugs the river for several miles before turning inland._
   - _Race cars hug the track through tight corners._
4. To hold fast to something, clinging to it or cherishing it.
   - Simple: To hold on to a belief or hope strongly and not let it go.
   - _He hugged his grudge for years, refusing to forgive._
   - _Many people hug the dreams they formed in childhood._
5. To press and cling closely together.
   - Simple: To press close together, holding on to one another.
   - _The climbers hugged together on the narrow ledge._
   - _Survivors hug close through the long, freezing night._

## Noun

2. A close embrace, especially one charged with strong emotion such as affection, joy, or relief, rather than a formal or half-hearted gesture.
   - Simple: A warm hold in someone's arms that shows a strong feeling like love or joy.
   - _After months apart, their reunion ended in a long, tearful hug._
   - _He greeted each guest with a warm hug at the door._
6. A particular hold or grip used in wrestling.
   - Simple: A special way of gripping your opponent in wrestling.
   - _The referee paused the bout when the hug trapped both wrestlers._
   - _She broke free from his hug with a sudden twist of her hips._

## Verb

7. To draw oneself into a low, tight huddle, as a person might when feeling cold. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To crouch down and huddle up, as when you are very cold.

## Origin

First recorded around 1560 as 'hugge' ('to embrace, clasp with the arms'), the word probably represents a blend of 'huck' ('to crouch, huddle down') and Old Norse 'hugga' ('to comfort, console'). The Old Norse verb came from 'hugr' ('mind, heart, thought'), from Proto-Germanic *hugiz ('mind, thought, sense'), which is cognate with Icelandic 'hugga' and Old English 'hyġe' ('thought').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hug (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).