To embrace means to hold someone close in your arms, usually to show affection or comfort. When you embrace someone, you wrap your arms around them in a hug. A mother might embrace her child after a long day at school, or friends might embrace when they reunite after summer vacation.

The word also means to accept or adopt something willingly and enthusiastically. When a student embraces a challenge, she takes it on with energy and determination rather than avoiding it. A community might embrace a new tradition, or a scientist might embrace a new theory after seeing compelling evidence. In this sense, embracing something means welcoming it rather than resisting or rejecting it.

You can embrace both positive and difficult things. Someone might embrace an opportunity to learn something hard, like a new instrument. A team might embrace the pressure of a championship game instead of feeling intimidated by it. When you embrace change, you accept that things are different and try to make the best of the new situation.

The word captures both physical closeness and the idea of accepting something fully into your life. When you embrace an idea, you're pulling it close to you mentally, just as you pull someone close physically in a hug.

As a noun, an embrace is the hug itself, or a warm welcome and acceptance.