MEANING
To adopt and support a belief, policy, or cause.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- espouse a cause
- espouse a view
On the page
He espoused openness while keeping the minutes of every meeting private.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- espouse
- Past tense
- espoused
- Past participle
- espoused
- Present participle
- espousing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- espouse
- Present continuous
- am/is/are espousing
- Present perfect
- have/has espoused
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been espousing
- Past
- espoused
- Past continuous
- was/were espousing
- Past perfect
- had espoused
- Past perfect continuous
- had been espousing
- Future
- will espouse
- Future continuous
- will be espousing
- Future perfect
- will have espoused
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been espousing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: espouse; espouses; espoused; espoused; espousing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: espouses.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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