urged; urging
1
: to present, advocate, or demand earnestly or pressingly
his conviction was upheld on a theory never urged at his … trial—
Leon Friedman
Leon Friedman2
: to undertake the accomplishment of with energy, swiftness, or enthusiasm
urge the attack
3
4
: to force or impel in an indicated direction or into motion or greater speed
the dog urged the sheep toward the gate
: to declare, advance, or press earnestly a statement, argument, charge, or claim
urged for the adoption of the proposal
urger
noun
1
: the act or process of urging
2
: a force or impulse that urges
especially
: a continuing impulse toward an activity or goal
Examples of urge in a Sentence
Verb
He is continually urging reform.
The rescuers urged that we remain calm.
an editorial urging readers to vote
I urge you to reconsider.
A hand on her back urged her forward.
Noun
the urge for something sweet
He fought the urge to cry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan D'ambrosio, USA Today, 10 May 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called senior officials in both countries before the attacks, urging them to ease tensions.
—Annabella Rosciglione, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2025
Andrew Fowler, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
But that’s only possible for those with the patience and discipline to avoid the natural human urge to cut and run.
—Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for urge
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Proposing and supporting systemic changes in our health care system, including urging the Green Mountain Care Board to implement hospital/payer-specific revenue caps − an important step toward affordability.
—Dan D'ambrosio, USA Today, 10 May 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called senior officials in both countries before the attacks, urging them to ease tensions.
—Annabella Rosciglione, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2025
Noun
Whether progress endures will depend on whether state policymakers resist the urge to slack on debt reduction at the first sign of improvement.
—Andrew Fowler, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
But that’s only possible for those with the patience and discipline to avoid the natural human urge to cut and run.
—Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for urge
Cite this Entry
“Urge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urge. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
urge
1 of 2 verb
urged; urging
1
: to ask for or support earnestly
continually urging reform
2
: to try to persuade
urge a guest to stay longer
3
: to force or drive to some course or activity (as greater speed)
riders urging their horses on
urge
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or process of urging
2
: a strong desire especially to achieve a goal
the urge to win
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