[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

espouse \espouse"\, v. t. imp.  p. p. espoused; p. pr. 
   vb. n. espousing. of. espouser, esposer, f. 'epouser,
   l. sponsare to betroth, espouse, fr. sponsus betrothed, p. p.
   of spondere to promise solemnly or sacredly. cf. spouse.
   1. to betroth; to promise in marriage; to give as spouse.
      1913 webster

            a virgin espoused to a man whose name was joseph.
                                                  --luke i. 27.
      1913 webster

   2. to take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry.
      1913 webster

            lavinia will i make my empress, . . .
            and in the sacred pantheon her espouse. --shak.
      1913 webster

   3. to take to one's self with a view to maintain; to make
      one's own; to take up the cause of; to adopt; to embrace.
      "he espoused that quarrel." --bacon.
      1913 webster

            promised faithfully to espouse his cause as soon as
            he got out of the war.                --bp. burnet.
      1913 webster
see also:
espoused espousing spouse 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

espouse
     v 1: choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies,
          strategies or plans; "she followed the feminist
          movement"; "the candidate espouses republican ideals"
          syn: adopt, follow
     2: take in marriage syn: marry, get married, wed, conjoin,
         hook up with, get hitched with
     3: take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone
        and use it as one's own; "she embraced catholocism"; "they
        adopted the jewish faith" syn: embrace, adopt, sweep
        up
see also:
adopt follow marry get married wed conjoin 
hook up with get hitched with embrace sweep up 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

58 moby thesaurus words for "espouse":
   accept, adopt, advocate, affiliate, allege in support, answer,
   approve, argue for, assert, back, be made one, be spliced,
   become one, campaign for, carry, catch, champion, contend for,
   contract matrimony, counter, couple, crusade for, defend, embrace,
   get hitched, go in for, intermarry, interwed, maintain,
   make a plea, marry, mate, miscegenate, pair off, pass, plead for,
   ratify, rebut, refute, remarry, reply, respond, rewed, riposte,
   say in defense, speak for, speak up for, stand up for,
   stick up for, support, sustain, take on, take to wife, take up,
   uphold, urge reasons for, wed, wive

[4] : Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

espouse
   2 sam. 3:14, to betroth. the espousal was a ceremony of
   betrothing, a formal agreement between the parties then coming
   under obligation for the purpose of marriage. espousals are in
   the east frequently contracted years before the marriage is
   celebrated. it is referred to as figuratively illustrating the
   relations between god and his people jer. 2:2; matt. 1:18; 2
   cor. 11:2. see betroth.
   
see also:
betroth 

Espouse >> E Words
Espouse, definition of term: Espouse
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