spurred

[spurd] / spɜrd /

VERB

incite, prompt

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arouse drive propel push spark stimulate stir trigger

STRONG

animate awaken countenance exhort favor goad goose impel instigate press prick prod rally rouse sic urge

WEAK

egg on fire up key up put up to turn on work up

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm check discourage dissuade halt repress stop

STRONG

deaden

WEAK

disapprove

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Although we had decades of clinical data validating its effectiveness, it was an observation from a longitudinal study of healthy nurses in the 1980s that spurred the largest bump in hormone usage.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

Wrexham’s streak of annual promotions spurred by its celebrity owners’ investment ended on Saturday, leaving the team in the second-tier Championship.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

The grim conditions spurred inmates to form advocacy groups like Group 31, which was officially created as a nonprofit to lobby corrections officials and lawmakers to improve inmates’ quality of life.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

This, rather than Callais itself, is what spurred Monday’s angry back-and-forth.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

After a while he saw a farmhouse and a man standing out in a field, in a peach orchard, and he spurred that way.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara