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To betroth; to promise in marriage; to give as spouse. A virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph. Luke i. 27.

The act of espousing, or the state of being espoused.

One who espouses; one who embraces the cause of another or makes it his own.

To release from espousal or plighted faith. [Poetic] Milton.

One who defends, vindicates, or espouses any cause by argument; a pleader; as, an advocate of free trade, an advocate of truth.

To betroth or espouse; to affiance. [Obs.] Shak.

to stay; to delay. [Obs.] For this perfection she must yet attend, Till to her Maker she espoused be. Sir J. Davies.

The side of a question, which is espoused, advocated, and upheld by a person or party; a principle which is advocated; that which a person or party seeks to attain. God befriend us, as our cause is just. Shak. The part they take against me is from zeal to the cause. Burke. Efficient cause, the agent or force that produ…

clare one's self, to avow one's opinion; to show openly what one thinks, or which side he espouses.

ound, n. -- To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith. -- To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage. -- To give the head. See under Head, n. -- To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party. -- To give the lie…

, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead one to espouse a righteous cause. He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions. Eikon Basilike. Silly women, laden with sins,led away by divers lusts. 2 Tim. iii. 6 (Rev. Ve…

In a national manner or way; as a nation. "The jews ... being nationally espoused to God by covenant." South.

numerous assemblage; a multitude; many. Ladies are always of great use to the party they espouse, and never fail to win over numbers. Addison.

, as in the ranks of an army; -- usually, reflexively and figuratively, (in the sense) to espouse a cause, to join a party, etc. It would be absurd in me to range myself on the side of the Duke of Bedford and the corresponding society. Burke.

To wed; to espouse. [Obs.] This markis hath her spoused with a ring. Chaucer. Though spoused, yet wanting wedlock's solemnize. Spenser. She was found again, and spoused to Marinell. Spenser.

and stands so firmly on his wife's frailty." Shak. -- To stand for. (a) To side with; to espouse the cause of; to support; to maintain, or to profess or attempt to maintain; to defend. "I stand wholly for you." Shak. (b) To be in the place of; to be the substitute or to represent; as, a cipher at the left hand of a fi…

p seven years." Dryden. (n) To receive, accept, or adopt for the purpose of assisting; to espouse the cause of; to favor. Ps. xxvii.

Betrothed; espoused; affianced. [Obs.] Shak.

To take for husband or for wife by a formal ceremony; to marry; to espouse. With this ring I thee wed. Bk. of Com. Prayer. I saw thee first, and wedded thee. Milton.