ɪ’spaʊz, ɛ-
■ verb
adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of life).
archaic marry. ▶(be espoused to) be engaged to.

espouser noun

ME: from OFr. espouser, from L. sponsare, from sponsus ‘betrothed’, past participle of spondere.
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Concise Oxford Thesaurus
espouse
▶ verb ADOPT, embrace, take up, accept, welcome; support, back, champion, favour, prefer, encourage; promote, endorse, advocate.

reject.
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EngMac
espoused
венчан
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Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary
es·pouse
Pronunciation: is-‘pau̇z also -‘pau̇s
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: es·poused ; es·pous·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espuser, from Late Latin sponsare to betroth, from Latin sponsus betrothed ― more at SPOUSE
Date: 15th century

1 : MARRY
2 : to take up and support as a cause : become attached to
synonyms see ADOPT
–es·pous·er noun