/ ɪmˈbærəs; NAmE / verb [ vn ]
1.
to make sb feel shy, awkward or ashamed, especially in a social situation :
[ vn ]
Her questions about my private life embarrassed me.
I didn't want to embarrass him by kissing him in front of his friends.
[ vn to inf ]
It embarrassed her to meet strange men in the corridor at night.
2.
to cause problems or difficulties for sb :
The speech was deliberately designed to embarrass the prime minister.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (originally in the sense to hamper or impede (a person or action)): from French embarrasser , from Spanish embarazar , probably from Portuguese embaraçar (from baraço halter).