I. hug 1 /hʌɡ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle hugged , present participle hugging ) [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . to put your arms around someone and hold them tightly to show love or friendship SYN embrace :
We stood there crying and hugging each other.
She went to her daughter and hugged her tightly.
2 . to put your arms around yourself
hug your knees/arms/legs etc
Sarah sat on the floor, hugging her knees.
hug yourself
She stood hugging herself against the cold.
3 . to move along the side, edge, top etc of something, staying very close to it:
The small boats hugged the coast.
4 . if clothes hug your body, they fit closely ⇨ close-fitting
body-/figure-hugging
a figure-hugging dress
5 . to hold something in your arms close to your chest:
He was hugging a big pile of books.
6 . hug yourself with joy/delight etc British English to feel very pleased with yourself:
Kate hugged herself with pleasure after receiving the award.
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THESAURUS
▪ hug ( also give somebody a hug ) to put your arms around someone and hold them tightly to show love or friendship:
Mother hugged him and tucked him into bed.
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Come here and give me a big hug.
▪ embrace to put your arms around someone and hold him or her in a caring way. Embrace is more formal than hug :
Jason warmly embraced his son.
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The two leaders embraced each other.
▪ cuddle to put your arms around someone or something as a sign of love, especially a child or a small animal:
She sat on a chair, cuddling her daughter.
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He cuddled the puppy.
▪ put your arms around somebody to hold someone closely to your body, especially to comfort them or show that you love them:
The woman put her arms around the sobbing boy.
▪ cradle written to hold someone very gently in your arms, like you would hold a baby:
She held the baby in her arms.
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She cradled his head in her hands and kissed him on the forehead
II. hug 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
the action of putting your arms around someone and holding them tightly to show love or friendship SYN embrace :
Paul gave me a big hug.
Nesta greeted the visitors with hugs and kisses.
⇨ ↑ bear hug