From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Espouse \Es*pouse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Espoused}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Espousing}.] [OF. espouser, esposer, F. ['e]pouser,
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.
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2. To take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry.
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Lavinia will I make my empress, . . .
And in the sacred Pantheon her espouse. --Shak.
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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]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
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}, {espouse}]
2: take in marriage [syn: {marry}, {get married}, {wed},
{conjoin}, {hook up with}, {get hitched with}, {espouse}]
3: take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and
use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They
adopted the Jewish faith" [syn: {espouse}, {embrace},
{adopt}, {sweep up}]
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