embrace

Compared meaning: to hold someone in your arms (verb).

比较义项：拥抱（动词）。

• embrace 本词

  More formal or literary; often used for emotional, ceremonial, or dramatic moments, and can describe a brief, one-time act between people who are not necessarily close.

  更正式或书面化；常用于情感强烈、仪式性或戏剧性的场合，也可以描述并不一定亲密的人之间短暂的一次性拥抱。

  The two leaders embraced warmly before the cameras at the summit.

  两位领导人在峰会的镜头前热情地拥抱了一下。

• hug

  More casual and everyday; typically used between family or close friends to show warmth, comfort, or affection, and often implies a tighter, longer squeeze.

  更口语化、日常化；通常用于家人或密友之间以表达温暖、安慰或亲情，往往意味着抱得更紧、时间更长。

  My little sister ran up and gave me a big hug when I got home.

  我到家时，小妹妹跑过来给了我一个大大的拥抱。

Embrace and hug both mean to put your arms around someone to show closeness. Embrace is more formal or literary, often used for emotional or ceremonial moments. Hug is casual and everyday, typically between family or close friends, and often means a tighter, longer squeeze.

两词在“用手臂搂抱someone表示亲近”这个意义上很接近，但embrace更正式、书面，常见于郑重或戏剧性的场合；hug更口语化、随意，是日常表达亲情或友好的常见方式。

Compared meaning: to include something within a range (verb).

比较义项：包含，包括（动词）。

• embrace 本词

  Formal; suggests readily or fully including a range of related things or ideas, often with a positive, proactive tone; used with abstract nouns like concepts, issues, or approaches.

  较正式；表示欣然或全面地包含一系列相关事物或观点，语气常带积极、主动色彩；多与概念、议题、方法等抽象名词搭配。

  The new curriculum embraces both traditional subjects and modern digital skills.

  新课程既包含传统学科，也包含现代数字技能。

• encompass

  Formal; emphasizes that something spans or includes a large, diverse range of things as a whole, often describing the scope of a project, study, or plan.

  较正式；强调某事物涵盖范围广泛、包罗多样的内容，常用于描述项目、研究或计划的范围。

  The training program encompasses everything from safety rules to customer service skills.

  这项培训项目涵盖从安全规则到客户服务技能的方方面面。

• cover

  The most common and neutral word for this sense; used in everyday and business contexts such as insurance, rules, topics, or agreements to say what is included.

  此义项中最常用、最中性的词；常用于日常和商务语境，如保险、规则、话题或协议，用来说明包含哪些内容。

  This insurance policy covers water damage but not flooding.

  这份保险单包括水损，但不包括洪水造成的损失。

• comprehend

  Very formal and rare in this sense in modern English; mostly appears in legal, academic, or old-fashioned writing to state precisely what a term or category includes.

  在此义项下非常正式，现代英语中很少见；多出现在法律、学术或较古旧的书面语中，用来精确说明某个术语或类别包含哪些内容。

  In this law, the term 'employee' comprehends both full-time and part-time workers.

  在本法中，“员工”一词包括全职员工和兼职员工。

Embrace, encompass, cover, and comprehend can all mean to include something. Cover is the most common, everyday word, used for insurance, rules, or topics. Encompass and embrace are more formal, stressing a wide range of things included. Comprehend is very formal and rare here.

这几个词在“包含、包括某些事物”这一义项上意思相近，但正式程度和语域不同：cover最口语化、最常用；encompass和embrace更正式，强调范围广或主动涵盖；comprehend在此义项下非常正式、罕见，多见于法律或旧式书面语。这里不比较embrace的“拥抱”义、cover的“覆盖、盖住”义，以及comprehend最常用的“理解”义。