hugs

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of hug.

   Warm hugs from old friends made the reunion unforgettable.

   He greeted everyone with hugs at the crowded airport gate.

   Note

   The plural is regular: it adds -s and is spelled exactly like the third-person verb form. Only the sentence tells them apart, as in she hugs her son versus she gave him two hugs. The singular also names a particular wrestling grip, so in a match report hugs may be holds rather than embraces.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of hug.

   Whenever the team wins, the coach hugs every player on the field.

   My grandmother hugs me tightly each time I come to visit.

   Note

   Every live sense of the verb shows up in this form, not only the embrace. A path that hugs the shore stays close to it, and someone who hugs an old belief holds fast to it. The verb usually takes a direct object (she hugs her son). As a reciprocal it needs a plural subject, so the -s drops (they hug). The old meaning "to crouch, to huddle" is obsolete and best left alone.

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