encourage

play

verb en·cour·age \in-ˈkər-ij, -ˈkə-rij, en-\

Definition of encourage

encouraged

;

encouraging

transitive verb
1a : to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten she was encouraged to continue by her early successb : to attempt to persuade : urge they encouraged him to go back to school
2 : to spur on : stimulate warm weather encourages plant growth
3 : to give help or patronage to : foster government grants designed to encourage conservation

encourager

noun

See encourage defined for English-language learners

See encourage defined for kids

Examples of encourage in a Sentence

They encouraged us in our work.
Encourage each other with kind words.
The program is meant to encourage savings.
Warm weather encourages plant growth.
He claims the new regulations will encourage investment.
He claims the new regulations will encourage people to invest.
We want to encourage students to read more.
My parents encouraged me to go back to college.
They encouraged her to go.

Recent Examples of encourage from the Web

As activists and politicians call for reforms to reduce police violence, some critics (including former FBI Director James Comey) have argued that the police-reform movement encourages crime and endangers officers.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Murder of Miosotis Familia", 5 July 2017
The goal of her plan is to shift parental expectations and encourage mothers and fathers to share responsibility.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "Ivanka Trump's Paid Family Leave Plan Neglects One Major Thing", 5 July 2017
Stage 6 on Thursday cuts through Champagne country from Vesoul to Troyes and is flat enough for sprinters encouraged by the departure of Cavendish and Sagan to go for the win.

— john leicester, courant.com, "Aru Charges To The Front", 5 July 2017
Labcraft Wizards encourages scientific observation as well as explores basic concepts in chemistry and physics.

— South Florida Parenting, "Summer reading: Books to keep kids learning", 3 July 2017
The law, passed in 1967, is the state’s primary tool to encourage housing development and address a statewide shortage of homes that drives California’s affordability problems.

— liam dillon, www.latimes.com, "California lawmakers have tried for 50 years to fix the state's housing crisis. Here's why they've failed", 29 June 2017
Twenty-five years ago San Diego Police Officer Fred Wilson wanted a way to encourage interaction between his fellow officers and the city’s senior residents.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Rancho Bernardo RSVP started a worldwide movement 25 years ago", 28 June 2017
But that’s because the bill as presented to CBO abolished Obamacare’s individual and employer purchasing mandates without providing any substitute provision to encourage young and healthy people to join or stay in the insurance market.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "CBO Score of Senate Health Bill Is Grim — But Gives McConnell Wiggle Room", 26 June 2017
Researchers say that relocating villages and halting mining could encourage more mingling between those groups.

— andrea marks, Scientific American, "In Case You Missed It", 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'encourage'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of encourage

Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French encorager, from en- + curage courage

NEW!

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of encourage

encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose. encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency. the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something. patriots inspirited the people to resist hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal. a hospital patient heartened by good news embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance. emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

ENCOURAGE Defined for English Language Learners

encourage

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verb

Definition of encourage for English Language Learners

: to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident
: to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen
: to make (someone) more likely to do something : to tell or advise (someone) to do something

ENCOURAGE Defined for Kids

encourage

play

verb en·cour·age \in-ˈkər-ij\

Definition of encourage for Students

encouraged

;

encouraging

1 : make more determined, hopeful, or confident : hearten Cheering fans encouraged the team.
2 : to give help or support to : aid Warm weather encourages plant growth.