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en·cour·age | \ in-ˈkər-ij 
, -ˈkə-rij, en- \
, -ˈkə-rij, en- \encouraged; encouraging
Definition of encourage
1a : to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten she was encouraged to continue by her early success
b : 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
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web Karlan also stressed that giving Trump a pass would encourage future presidents to undermine elections and U.S. national security for personal benefit.
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Arkansas Online, "Lawmakers get scholars' take; witnesses at odds on legitimacy to impeach," 5 Dec. 2019 Karlan shared that view and stressed that giving Trump a pass would encourage future presidents to undermine elections and U.S. national security for personal political benefit.
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Anchorage Daily News, "White House gears up for aggressive effort to defend Trump in the Senate as House moves toward impeachment vote," 5 Dec. 2019 But Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the incentives in the old waiver system encouraged states to petition the federal government for their citizens.
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BostonGlobe.com, "You're using a browser set to private or incognito mode.," 5 Dec. 2019 Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the incentives in the old waiver system encouraged states to petition the federal government for their citizens.
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New York Times, "Hundreds of Thousands Are Losing Access to Food Stamps," 4 Dec. 2019 For over 30 years, a state government program has encouraged Florida residents to switch to sustainable landscapes with plants that are pest-resistant, drought-tolerant and thrive in most conditions, Hansen says.
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Leslie Nemo, Scientific American, "Cookie-Cutter Suburbs Could Help Spread Sustainable Yards," 3 Dec. 2019 The first-year coach also talks about going through the worst start in franchise history and why fans should be encouraged going forward.
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Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals Beat Podcast: Head coach Zac Taylor, Week 13 recap of win over Jets," 3 Dec. 2019 Since 2012, GivingTuesday has inspired people to do good through donations and encouraging random acts of kindness.
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Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "Natalie Portman Gets Passionate About Her Important Charity Work on GivingTuesday," 3 Dec. 2019 Conway said the plates' material also encourages healthy eating.
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London Gibson, Indianapolis Star, "Hoosier pediatrician fights to 'get plastic off the table' with rainbow steel kids dinnerware," 27 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for encourage
encourage
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of encourage
: 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
See the full definition for encourage in the English Language Learners Dictionary
encourage
verben·cour·age | \ in-ˈkər-ij \
\encouraged; encouraging
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Time Traveler for encourage
The first known use of encourage was in the 15th century
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