stimulus

noun

stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs 

plural stimuli ˈstim-yə-ˌlī  -ˌlē 

: something that rouses or incites to activity: such as

a

: incentive

b

: stimulant sense 1

c

: an agent (such as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of a living organism or one of its parts (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)

Synonyms of stimulus

• incentive
• impetus
• encouragement
• motivation

Examples of stimulus in a Sentence

The pay raise was a stimulus for production.

Heat and light are physical stimuli.

The dog responded to the stimulus of the ringing bell.

Recent Examples on the Web

This suggests the presence of an internal, self-evolving latent variable—independent of external stimuli—that shapes the timing structure of motivation and decision-making. —Matt Emma, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026

Feland adds that the additional gravitational load gives an extra stimulus for the bone to build more tissue in people who don’t get that through weight-bearing exercise or resistance training. —Jennifer Heimlich, Time, 23 Jan. 2026

Yet this is where Ueda’s BOJ finds itself as newish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angles to re-open the stimulus floodgates to juice the economy. —William Pesek, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Because of that strength, as well as other factors such as fiscal stimulus, Rosen anticipates that the Fed won’t undergo a similar rate cut path as seen toward the end of last year, when the central bank issued three consecutive quarter percentage point cuts. —Sean Conlon,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stimulus

• limulus

Kids Definition

stimulus

noun

stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs 

plural stimuli -ˌlī 

-ˌlē

1

: something that rouses or stirs to action : incentive

2

: something (as an environmental change) that acts to partly change bodily activity (as by exciting a sensory organ)

heat, light, and sound are common physical stimuli

Medical Definition

stimulus

noun

stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs 

plural stimuli -ˌlī  -ˌlē 

1

: stimulant sense 1

2

: an agent (as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of living protoplasm (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)

a visual stimulus