espouse vs unite

espouse and unite both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
espouse	No	No	Yes	No
unite	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, unite is a hypernym of espouse; that is, unite is a word with a broader meaning than espouse:

Other hypernyms of espouse include unify.

espouse (verb)	unite (verb)
take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own	become one
choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans	join or combine
take in marriage; married	act in concert or unite in a common purpose or belief
	bring together for a common purpose or action or ideology or in a shared situation
	have or possess in combination
	be or become joined or united or linked