impetus

noun im·pe·tus \ ˈim-pə-təs \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: impetus Has Latin Roots

Definition of impetus

1 a (1) : a driving force : impulse

(2) : incentive, stimulus

b : stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity

2 : the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion —used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion

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See impetus defined for kids

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Examples of impetus in a Sentence

In a revealing comment, Mr. Updike says an impetus for Rabbit, Run was the "threatening" success of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, the signature book of the 1950s Beat Generation, and its frenetic search for sensation. —Dennis Farney, Wall Street Journal, 16 Sept. 1992
But 1939 gave new impetus to the Western with the Cecil B. de Mille railway epic Union Pacific, John Ford's skillful and dramatic Stagecoach, … and George Marshall's classic comic Western, Destry Rides Again. —Ira Konigsberg, The Complete Film Dictionary, 1987
… new techniques of navigation and shipbuilding enlarged trade and the geographical horizon; newly centralized power absorbed from the declining medieval communes was at the disposal of the monarchies and the growing nationalism of the past century gave it impetus … —Barbara W. Tuchman, The March of Folly, 1984
His discoveries have given impetus to further research.
the reward money should be sufficient impetus for someone to come forward with information about the robbery

Recent Examples of impetus from the Web

Shirley Williams, administrator of student services for the district, said part of the impetus for creating the program — which used to be housed at a church — was to keep kids off the streets.

— lori higgins, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit schools had 16,000 suspensions last year, aims to reduce them," 11 June 2018
The impetus behind the design from Costain is to improve the safety of work zones set up on busy roads, while speeding up the tedious job of setting them up.

— gary gastelu, Fox News, "Robot traffic cones revealed that can move themselves into position on busy roads," 7 June 2018
Stith says of the impetus to build an outdoor space.

— heather platt, Los Angeles Magazine, "Tam O’Shanter’s Patio Is Open for the First Time in 70 Years," 9 May 2018
But one of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Mark Cardenas, D-Phoenix, said marijuana legalization is hardly the driving impetus behind #RedForEd.

— lorraine longhi, azcentral, "Local news anchor Kari Lake tweets that #RedForEd is cover for pot legalization," 25 Apr. 2018
Highlights include multiple community events and a strong sense of belonging that comes from highway access being the impetus for its growth on the outskirts of the big city.

— michael candelaria, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Ocoee Neighborhood Guide," 21 June 2018
Will the audiotape of anguished children be an impetus for altering Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy?

— julie hinds, Detroit Free Press, "Can tape of sobbing child detainees join shocking sounds, images that have shaped history?," 20 June 2018
The death a year ago of Ohio's Otto Warmbier was the impetus for the extraordinary nuclear summit with Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "President Trump on Otto Warmbier: 'Otto did not die in vain'," 12 June 2018
Warmbier's death was the impetus for the summit, Trump said.

— jessica estepa, USA TODAY, "The handshake, denuclearization and another summit: Six things to know from the Trump-Kim summit," 12 June 2018

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

impetus Has Latin Roots

You already have plenty of incentive to learn the origin of "impetus," so we won't force the point. "Impetus" comes from Latin, where it means "attack or assault"; the verb "impetere" was formed by combining the prefix in- with petere, meaning "to go to or seek." "Petere" also gives us other words suggesting a forceful urging or momentum, such as "appetite," "perpetual," and "centripetal." "Impetus" describes the kind of force that encourages an action ("the impetus behind the project") or the momentum of an action already begun ("the meetings only gave impetus to the rumors of a merger").

Origin and Etymology of impetus

Latin, assault, impetus, from impetere to attack, from in- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1641

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

impetus Synonyms

Phrases

shot in the arm;

IMPETUS Defined for English Language Learners

impetus

noun

Definition of impetus for English Language Learners

: a force that causes something (such as a process or activity) to be done or to become more active
: a force that causes an object to begin moving or to continue to move