es·pouse /ɪsˈpaʊz ||ˈpaʊs/
 (vt.)信仰,信奉,擁護;嫁娶


 Es·pouse v. t. [imp. & p. p. Espoused p. pr. & vb. n. Espousing.]
 1. To betroth; to promise in marriage; to give as spouse.
    A virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.   --Luke i. 27.
 2. To take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry.
 Lavinia will I make my empress, . . .
 And in the sacred Pantheon her espouse.   --Shak.
 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.”
    Promised faithfully to espouse his cause as soon as he got out of the war.   --Bp. Burnet.

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 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]


 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.)