espouse C2+ Topic:Religion & Belief US /ɪˈspaʊz/ UK /ɪˈspaʊz/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of life The party espouses sweeping reform of the tax code. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to adopt or support a... adoptembracesupportadvocatechampionendorseback ↔ Opposites rejectabandonopposerenouncedisavow Word family Derived forms espousalespouser Related forms spousespousal Etymology AI details From Old French espouser 'to marry', from Latin sponsare 'to betroth', from sponsus 'betrothed', past participle of spondere 'to promise solemnly, pledge'. espouser Old French sponsare Latin spondere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Religion & Belief External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # espouse **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ɪˈspaʊz/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪˈspaʊz/ ## Meanings 1. to adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of life ## Examples - The party espouses sweeping reform of the tax code. ## Synonyms - adopt - embrace - support - advocate - champion - endorse - back ## Antonyms - reject - abandon - oppose - renounce - disavow ## Derived Forms - espousal - espouser ## Related Forms - spouse - spousal ## Roots and Affixes - Root: espouser - Root: sponsare - Root: spondere ## Etymology From Old French espouser 'to marry', from Latin sponsare 'to betroth', from sponsus 'betrothed', past participle of spondere 'to promise solemnly, pledge'. ## AI Etymology Espouse is from Old French espouser 'to marry', from Latin sponsare 'to betroth', from sponsus 'betrothed', past participle of spondere 'to promise solemnly, pledge'. Important recorded forms include espouser (Old French), sponsare (Latin), and spondere (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of life. The wider family includes derived forms such as espousal and espouser and related words such as spouse and spousal. ## Topics - Religion & Belief markdown