English Collins Dictionary-English synonyms & Thesaurus &nbsp. embody (embodies 3rd person present) (embodying present participle) (embodied past tense & past participle) 1 verb To embody an idea or quality means to be a symbol or expression of that idea or quality. (=represent). Jack Kennedy embodied all the hopes of the 1960s... V n. That stability was embodied in the Gandhi family.