I. ˈhəg verb
( hugged ; hugged ; hugging ; hugs )
Etymology: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hugga to comfort, soothe; akin to Old English hycgan to think, consider, understand, Old High German huggen to think, Old Norse huga & hyggja, Gothic hugjan, and perhaps to Greek kyknos swan — more at cygnet
transitive verb
1.
a. : to press tightly : clutch
the grip of her knees hugging Saidi's hot, rippling withers — L.C.Douglas
specifically : to clasp within the arms
hurries down the gangplank to hug his waiting wife
she sat up in bed and hugged her knees — Louis Auchincloss
b. : to squeeze between the forelegs
discounting the chances of being … hugged to death in the claws of a 9-foot anteater — George Weller
2.
a. archaic : to show fondness for
hugged the authors as his bosom friends — John Arbuthnot
specifically : to curry favor with
refused to fight, on the ground that his opponent had been guilty of hugging attorneys — T.B.Macaulay
b. : congratulate , felicitate
hugged ourselves that we hadn't had to be told — A.N.Whitehead
c. : to cling to or hold fast : cherish , keep
hug our half belief in ghosts — W.W.Howells
hugged his miseries like a sulky child — John Buchan
an effort to hug all credit to himself — Jonathan Daniels
3. : to stay close or adhere to
the road hugs the river
this blast … helps the normal airflow hug the contour of the flap — Richard Witkin
collars either hug the neck or stand away — Women's Wear Daily
berries hug the stem
skaters hug the bonfire
a sailboat hugs the wind
the faint aroma … hugged them like smog — Sally Benson
4. dialect England : to carry with difficulty : lug
intransitive verb
1. : to press together : crowd
in groups that hugged together — Francis Hackett
2.
a. : to embrace or adhere closely
they hugged and kissed
the revolving part is hugging closely against one side — Terrell Croft
b. : to crush a victim by squeezing with the forelegs
'tis a bear's talent not to kick but hug — Alexander Pope
•
- hug one's chains
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an affectionate embrace
gave him a motherly hug
2. : a crushing or restraining grasp
bitter hug of mortality — Walt Whitman