Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language

hug

1 verb
     
hug
hug1 past tense and past participle hugged, present participle hugging [transitive]
1 to put your arms around someone and hold them tightly to show love or friendship [= embrace]:
We stood there crying and hugging each other.
She went to her daughter and hugged her tightly.
2 to put your arms around yourself
hug your knees/arms/legs etc
Sarah sat on the floor, hugging her knees.
hug yourself
She stood hugging herself against the cold.
3 to move along the side, edge, top etc of something, staying very close to it:
The small boats hugged the coast.
4 if clothes hug your body, they fit closely [↪ close-fitting]
body-/figure-hugging
a figure-hugging dress
5 to hold something in your arms close to your chest:
He was hugging a big pile of books.
6

hug yourself with joy/delight etc

British English to feel very pleased with yourself:
Kate hugged herself with pleasure after receiving the award.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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