engulf somebody in a hug (2025)

This sentence is my own, but I'm not sure if it's correct, if one can 'engulf somebody in a hug' (present tense narrative):

'Everybody embraces each other warmly, even men. It can be a casual embrace or may go so far as to ENGULF one another IN an intimate hug that can last up to a minute.'

Copyright said:

Intimate is pretty, well, intimate. You might want to make sure you want that word.

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In my sentence I describe what the guys from NA (narcotics anonymous) do. And that's exactly what they (sometimes) do, hugging each other intimately. Well, not fruity (not with fruity intentions), just unusually long (up to a minute sometimes).

Or which word would fit this meaning better? Intensely?

Ah you have supplied context!

Maybe sustained hugging would describe it?

suzi br said:

Are you describing some beahviour which you have seen? Men hugging intimately for up to a minute sounds quite a specialised context.

Ah you have supplied context!

Maybe sustained hugging would describe it?

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Thank you Suzi, yes I think sustained sounds good. Er, but then I have a problem with the adverb (there is no 'sustainedly')....hug one another sustainedly can't be correct.....hug one another in a sustained way up to a minute?

What I would do:
'Everybody embraces each other warmly, even men. It can be a casual hug or a more serious embrace that lasts up to a minute."

But I wasn't there, so I leave it to you.

phil_34 said:

This sentence is my own, but I'm not sure if it's correct, if one can 'engulf somebody in a hug' (present tense narrative):

'Everybody embraces each other warmly, even men. It can be a casual embrace or may go so far as to ENGULF one another IN an intimate hug that can last up to a minute.'

Click to expand...

To incorporate sustained with your original phrasing I'd suggest this:

'Everybody embraces each other warmly, even men. It can be a casual embrace or may be sustained hugging for as long as a minute."

Then there's the "bear hug" - a hearty embrace:
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/bear hug

Mister Lloyd said:

to engulf someone in a hug.
From The Office s3e4 recap: Michael announces he'll be in his office for consolation pop-ins, but with no takers he wanders to the reception desk and engulfs Pam in an awkward too-long hug, telling her Truck was "almost 70, so ... circle of life."

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Good catch.

The problem with the original, at least in American English, is that two people can't engulf each other. The only thing that works logically is a bigger (in some way) person engulfing a smaller one. I don't know how big Michael is compared to Pam, but men are generally bigger than women.

In the OP question, I would call it an extended hug.

Everybody embraces each other warmly, even men. It could be a casual embrace or it could be an extended hug that can lasts up to a minute.