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Commit to Learning the History of Espouse
As you might guess, the words espouse and spouse are hitched, both coming from the Latin verb spondēre, meaning “to promise” or “to betroth.” In fact, the two were once completely interchangeable, with each serving as a noun meaning “a newly married person” or “a husband or wife” and also as a verb meaning “to marry.” Their semantic separation began when the noun espouse fell out of use. Nowadays, espouse is most often encountered as a verb used in the figuratively extended sense “to commit to and support as a cause.”
Examples of espouse in a Sentence
Will Carless, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
But either way, the rhetoric espoused in court filings and courtrooms by Biden’s Justice Department will likely shift once Trump takes over.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 18 Jan. 2025
This is not the day to get on your soapbox and espouse your views.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2025
Economists across the ideological spectrum have espoused a carbon tax as the most effective tool for combating climate change, yet Democrats rejected that approach when designing their climate bill under Mr. Biden.
—Ben Casselman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for espouse 
Dictionary Entries Near espouse
Cite this Entry
“Espouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/espouse. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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