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

• 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

The hope was that a quick jolt of stimulus (delivered without haste) could stir an economic recovery. —Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

David McClendon, a senior partner and consultant at January Advisors, said that medical debt cases are likely going up because hospital budgets are tightening, and because patients are no longer receiving pandemic stimulus payments that kept many of them afloat and out of debt in recent years. —Molly Castle Work, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025

The factory is a throwback to a pre-Rust Belt America, providing ~200 jobs, endless pride, and a stimulus that benefits the rest of the local economy. —Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025

Following the robust recovery from the pandemic, which was driven by enormous stimulus spanning both fiscal and monetary policy, U.S. gross domestic product fell from 2.9 percent growth in 2023 to 2.8 percent last year. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025

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