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Glite Dictionary
🧸 A strong embrace 💼 A takeover offer
bear hug

bear hug

9 3.0
A very strong, tight hold with your arms around someone
  • noun
  • /bɛr hʌg/
translation icon : abrazo de oso
  • The man crumples forward, hurt, but manages to enfold Frank in an awesome bear hug.

Don't assume they want a bear hug and a kiss.

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Examples

  • Wade pushes Marg aside, grabs his father in a bear hug, and walks him backwards, flat against the wall.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • St. Ed grabbed him in a happy bear hug and kissed him on the cheek.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Give him a big old bear hug.

    Fathers' Day (1997)

  • Let me give you a bear hug, Tiny.

    Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)

  • Then he pulled Jesse to him and embraced him in a bear hug.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • His dad stopped looking sad and whipped him off the ground in a big bear hug.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Uncle Ike grabbed me up in his arms in a bear hug.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Rasputin takes him around in a huge bear hug, smothering him.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Then, flinging his arms wide, he wrapped Clieous in a bear hug and kissed him once on each cheek.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • After winning the match, he celebrated with a bear hug for his teammate.

Synonyms

hug
vsbear hug
433 1.0

A tight hold with the arms to show care

is firmer and locks arms tightly often to control someone
embrace
vsbear hug
61 3.3

A close hug that shows affection and comfort

is a more forceful locked-arm act instead of a general close holding
squeeze
vsbear hug
  • Informal
10 2.0

A tight warm hug

is a stronger locked-arm hold often used to force control
wrestling hold
vsbear hug
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A grip or move used to control an opponent in a match

is a forceful locked-arm action used in close contact rather than sport technique

Antonyms

to push away
43 3.2

To stop other people from getting close to you emotionally

How Tight

bear hug
9 3.0
squeeze
  • Informal
10 2.0
hug
433 1.0

Surface Forms

bear hug singular
bear hugs plural

Morphology

bear + hug

This is a finance-specific metaphor: the sense 'an aggressive acquisition offer' cannot be compositionally derived from 'bear' (a market pessimist) plus 'hug' (an embrace). Even if learners know the constituent words, the institutional/financial meaning is idiomatic and not predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Bear hug comes from the picture of a big bear wrapping its heavy arms around someone in a tight hug; people used that fierce image to name a very strong embrace. So, 'bear hug' now means 'a very tight, powerful embrace'.