embark
embark Lexical Profile
embark Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To begin a course of action, especially one that is important, demanding, or long-lasting (usually followed by 'on' or 'upon').
"After completing her apprenticeship, she decided to embark on a new career in sustainable architecture."
To go on board a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle at the start of a journey, or to put passengers or cargo on board.
"The passengers waited patiently at the terminal before being called to embark at Portsmouth harbor."
Word Nuance & Usage
In its figurative sense of starting a new venture, 'embark' is an intransitive verb that almost always requires the preposition 'on' or 'upon' before the object (e.g., 'embark on a career').
• Rhymes for embark
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-16th century from French 'embarquer' or Spanish 'embarcar', combining the prefix 'em-' (in or on) with 'barca' (bark or small ship), from Late Latin 'barca'.